Far From Home
by GentlyRiseAndSoftlyCall
Summary: "I grew up fighting. Every day of my life, I'll fight. And I'll sure as hell go out with a fight. My mother raised me to defend myself, my father taught me passion. They were good people. Greater pirates." A teenage girl, under the care of Silver, comes along for the ride to Treasure Planet. Will her curiosity be peaked by young Jim Hawkins? Treasure Planet with an OC written in.
1. Chapter 1 - A Young Girls' Story

_Far From Home  
_

_Chapter 1_

_A Young Girls' Story_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing within this story, other than my own character. All rights belong to RLS and Disney._

_Pairing: Jim/OC_

_Summary: "I grew up fighting. Every day of my life, I'll fight. And I'll sure as hell go out with a fight. My mother raised me to defend myself, my father taught me passion. They were good people. Greater pirates." A teenage girl, under the care of Silver, comes along for the ride to Treasure Planet. Will her curiosity be peaked by young Jim Hawkins? Treasure Planet with an OC written in._

_Author's Note: In case you don't know me, I'm Melanie. I'm a Virgo. I love sunsets, long walks on the beach, and frisky women. I'm also terrible at updating my stories at regular intervals._

_Anyhoodle._

_(I also use the word 'anyhoodle' a lot). So I wrote this fic a few years ago, and, upon watching Treasure Planet again, decided to publish this! Woot. It was all in first person previously, so I edited ALL TWENTY CHAPTERS to be in third person. Bitchbitch moanmoan whine. Anyhoodle. I rewrote and edited, and here we are! I left this chapter in first person because it's my OCs intro. So. Yeah._

_Just a warning, this chapter is really crappy, honestly. I know that when you create your own character for a story, you put a lot of effort into their past and their reason for being there, because they're yours and you love your characters. But I really didn't do that here. I put most of my effort into writing the rest of the story, adding as much detail as I possibly can. So please ignore the lesser quality of this chapter._

_Thanks for taking the time to read! Reviews are a cup of hot tea on a rainy day._

_Kisses and cumshots,_

_Melanie_

* * *

I grew up fighting. Every day of my life, I'll fight. And I'll sure as hell go out with a fight. My mother raised me to defend myself, my father taught me passion. They were good people. Greater pirates.

I was born in the Captain's quarters of a great pirate ship in the Lagoon Nebula. Learned to walk on the seemingly endless docks at the port of Viscerion. Won my first game of dice and killed my first man in the same night, in a shady pub on the shadier planet of Tugale. My father was proud of me that night. My mother worried, saying I was too young for such things. But I was strong; ever a fighter. I proved to her I could kill a man who threatened me at age ten, but still be her innocent little girl. Looking back, it turns out she was right to be worried, though for a different reason. It seems that the man I killed had friends, and they were none too pleased about his death. I remember the night they came for us; I remember it well.

It was a crisp night. Cooler than the people of the Port of Koon were used to. But I liked it; I always preferred the cold to the blistering hot that my parents preferred. Maria and Petyr Montgomery were part of the last generation of humans born on the planet Earth, before it was destroyed. They grew up together as friends, in a place they called Europe. They escaped together and became pirates, married by an old captain on a rich ship only a year later. Mother tells me of Earth sometimes; about her home with her mother and sister -whom I never met; they perished with the Earth- with the blue paint in her bedroom. She'd smile at that; those small little details she'd tell me of. She always said, "When you look back at old memories, you'll smile at the tiniest details. Because when you have them, you never appreciate them properly. Like blue paint and the sunrise. And once they're gone, only then, you'll realize you miss them."

She was a brilliant woman, my mother. She laughed at everything, and loved to tease my father and make him smile. She was medium skinned, tan but not quite, with gorgeous light brown ringlets framing her face. Tall and sturdy, a great fighter. I inherited her tall frame and slim build, but got my father's brown eyes and wavy hair. But mother knew how to shoot properly, and taught me well. I remember watching her fight once. She'd hidden me behind a wall one night, when a thief had come to our latest home to rob us of what little we had. Mother had pulled out a sword, and fought him. She laughed while she lashed at him, laughed and smiled and taunted. She was having fun with it. She was having fun when she killed him. Her deep green eyes were alight with fire and laughter as she took the life from him. I was only six then, and I was frightened. But afterward, my mother threw the sword across the room, and fell to her knees in front of me, sadness shadowing the light of her eyes. She whispered she was sorry, over and over. _I'm sorry__,__ my love_. I'd held on as tight as I could when she embraced me, and I began to understand that you do what you must. You do your duty. And from then on my mother taught me how to fight, how to elude capture, how to charm people into believing your lies. She taught me to be a great pirate, like her.

I was much closer to my mother than I was with my father. He did everything he could to protect my mother and I, and he was quite a serious man. I wish I could have spent more time with him; wish I could have known him better. But I never can. I never will.

Getting back to my story, my parents and I were staying in a small, one-room flat on the second floor of a run-down house. We'd only been there a few weeks, we'd only be there a few more. You never stayed in one place long, when you lived a life such as ours. But I liked it there, on that small little insignificant planet. Meant for travellers, it was. One town that wasn't too crowded, and those who lived there with open doors for the passing merchant or spacer. That's what father would tell them, of course. He was a merchant, travelling with his family. Just passing through, might we have a place to stay? No one really asked questions, though many were suspicious by the looks we got. They could see a couple of the weapons my parents had hidden, and studied the state of our clothing. Bit grubby, but sturdy. Built for travelling; used for fighting.

The chilled air whipped the auburn waves of my hair into my eyes as I gazed out towards the nearest pub, its shouts and singing catching my attention. There was a single window in that room of ours, and that was where I sat with its pane thrown wide open. It was quite late into the evening, but I felt no exhaustion. I was a night owl, my mother said. I'd never seen an owl myself, but mother drew me pictures sometimes, and told me of them, smiling that reminiscing smile. She told me of a beautiful feathered bird, which sleeps all day and hunts by night. Mother and father always called me their little bird.

Birds. That's what I was thinking about that night, as I watched the pub and waited for my father to return home. Of all things, a creature I barely knew of. I pretended I was a bird. Pretended I could flap my wings and be taken to a great and wonderful place, as all children do. But my fantasy was cut short, when the door to our room slammed open, making me jump and turn to the noise, and my mother quickly rise from her position on the bed.

It was father. He walked briskly forward and grabbed my mother's arm, pulling her harshly from the covers and up so she was standing with him. I stood, eyes wide and heart racing. What was happening? My father shared a hard look with his wife and she nodded once. He let her arm drop to her side and she stood there for a moment, just a moment before she ran to me. She fell to her knees and looked up at me; her ten year old pirate of a child. I don't think I'll ever forget the look in her eyes; I'd never seen her with such grim determination and fear. She reached up with both hands to grasp the silver chain holding her necklace in place; a simple silver star with small diamonds framing the perimeter. She pulled it up and over her head, transferring it to lay at my neck. She kissed me once on the forehead, a simple yet lingering touch of affection, and whispered one word in my ear.

_Run_.

My father walked over to us as my mother stood. He handed her a sword and gun, before holding a simpler gun out for me. I looked up at him then, trying not to show my panic and fear. Even then, I didn't want to disappoint him. He smiled at me, that kind of sad smile that people have when they're upset, but trying to keep someone else happy. He smiled that sad smile, and leaned down to kiss me at the top of my head. "Be strong, little bird," he whispered to me, "and fly."

Those were the last words I ever heard my father say. Mother pushed me towards the window, whispering 'run' once more. I was scared, truly properly terrified, but I tucked the gun father gave me into the waistband of my trousers, and I climbed down from the second story to the hard, dry ground. The adrenaline rushed through me, shadowing the panic slightly. My parents were going to die. Why else would they send me away? It was only later that I realized it must have been the colleagues of that pirate; who else would make such an effort to kill us? Who else _could_ kill us?

I hit the ground hard. My knees screamed in protest as I landed harshly on them, but I stood up without a thought about it, and I ran. I ran for me. I ran for my mother, and I ran for my father. I ran for them, because crying and giving up would have been disappointing for them. Their attempt to save me would have been for nothing. I was a fighter, and I had to fight now.

I ran out of the small alleyway between the house we stayed in, and the one directly beside. I emerged on the empty roadway, looking left and right before running across the way and down, heading for the docks. There was sweat beginning to fall down my back from the nerves, but I barely noticed it. I ran down that road, and I never looked back, too afraid at what I might see. So I stared instead at my shadow, falling directly in front of me, leading me on.

It was then that a thought occurred and I stopped dead in my tracks. _Shadow. Why do I have a shadow?_ I shouldn't have a shadow, there was no light falling to produce one. That stopped my running, and slowly, so slowly, I turned around.

The house in which I had been running from was engulfed completely with dancing orange flames. My eyes widened and my heart quickened, my flesh damp with sweat. I tried to, but I couldn't run. I couldn't think. I couldn't move. I could only clench my fists and stare at the rushing flames, and focus on the fact that I was truly, truly alone. Maria and Petyr Montgomery, my parents, were gone from me forever.

I breathed in sharp pants as my hands began to shake and my thoughts began to race. I didn't know what to do; I was only ten, what _could_ I do? But a sudden pull on the back of my shirt woke me from my daze, and I knew it was the colleagues of the pirate, come to kill me. I knew it, yet I didn't care. Because it meant that soon, I would be with my parents once more.

Then it was two hands instead of one, and one of them felt strangely stiff and cool. Those hands left my back and gripped my arms, turning me around so my back was to the accursed flames, and shook me hard.

"Are ye daft, girl? Those are pirates ye were just sent from, don't hang around waitin' for 'em to finish ye off!"

There was a voice connected to a body, which was connected to the hands still shaking the sense back into me. I looked up into his face, to see half of it was mechanical. A cyborg. I'd heard enough about them from other pirates, but never seen one this close. My eyes widened fractionally, taking in his form, but I never said a word. I was still too frozen from the shock of what I'd seen.

It took a few more shakes, but soon the cyborg was dragging me down to a small and dingy alleyway, closer to the docks than to the flayed house. He pushed me in, shielding me in from the open space and the pirates that meant to end me. I breathed hard and fast, the smoke coating my lungs with a thin layer of ash. The cyborg looked down at me, studying me silently.

"Ye got a name, lass? Anywhere to go?"

I shook my head softly; no. He let out a deep breath and spoke harshly and quietly to himself. He looked at me once more, no longer studying me, and flashed me a quick and wicked smile.

"I must be bloody daft. Ever dreamed of bein' a pirate, lass?" He asked me with a chuckle.

I tried not to show any emotion; what was he playing at? I merely looked up into his eyes and replied, "I was raised to be the best."

He chuckled again at that, ruffling my hair.

"The name's Silver, lass. It may not be good for ya, but I can't let ya stay here alone to fend for yourself. Come with me, and have a home under the sail."

I blinked once, surprised. Was this some sort of trick? I thought it quickly through, and it didn't take long for me to accept his offer. If he was being honest and was willing to have me on his ship, I'd live and learn to be a proper pirate; I'd survive. If it was a trick and he was going to hand me over to the other pirates, well … What else did I have to lose?

"…Alright. I'll go with you. Th-thank you," I whispered quietly. Silver merely chuckled and led me towards the dock and, assumingly, his ship. "Ye got a name, lass?"

I nodded, looking back behind me at the ruin of my old home. There were people about, yelling and trying to quench the flames. But I shook my head sharply, clearing it so I'd have room to think. I clenched my mother's necklace, a gift from the captain of the ship I was born on, and coincidentally a charm for my name.

"Starla. My name is Starla."


	2. Chapter 2 - The Separation

_Far From Home_

_Chapter 2_

_The Separation_

_Author's Note: Hello hello. I wanted to add the second chapter right away after the first, so here it is. If you're reading this, please leave a review to let me know the Treasure Planet fandom is still out there!  
_

_Kisses and cumshots,_

_Melanie_

* * *

_Six years later_

"OI! OVER HERE, YA SLEAZY CUR!" Starla shouted over to the alien with the dark blue skin and shining eyes. She stood with a wicked grin on her lips, taunting the pirate over. He was about to attack the back of one of Silver's crew, and we couldn't have that now, could we? The pirate growled and turned to start making his way over to the only woman around. _Sword in his right claw, bit slow on the movement. Easy fight. If it weren't for the two extra hands, also carrying swords._ Starla let out a sigh and ran, beginning her offensive attack.

_Bring the sword down on his head. Blocked. Swings his left sword to my right leg. Jump. NO, DUCK. His right sword awaiting my jump. Curl in on self and slide over to the right, where he's weakest. _She landed on her right hip, cussing under her breath. No time to focus on the damage. _Kick out with my left leg at his, he only has two so it'll be easy to bring him down. Ha, I'm right!_ Landing on his back, Starla quickly jumped up and kicked the swords from his hands. She stood just over him, crouching over his midsection and holding her sword to his neck. She can feel herself smile as he starts to tremble.

"Now that we've had our fun ….. Where is it?" She asked him, the point of her sword digging in to the elastic flesh of his neck. He doesn't say a word, just stares up at her. It makes Starla grind her teeth with impatience.

"The map. Tell me. Now." Still, the alien says nothing. Starla loses her patience, and stands up, ending his life quickly. Odd, isn't it? After a few years and so many deaths, she barely flinches when she hands a man his own ticket to the otherworld.

Starla sheaths her sword, shaking out her hair. Nearing waist-length, it was starting to get in the way of her fighting. She throws it over her shoulder and walks over to Silver, where he was just finishing off the captain of the ship they were on.

"Anything new?" She asks him as she reached his view, her left hand resting on the hilt of her sword. It did no good to sneak up on Silver, even if it was only Starla. Silver had trained her to be a proper pirate from that day he took her in, those years ago. She was strong and fast, charming and deadly. A truly elegant pirate, even if she was just a woman, he would joke.

He looked up at Starla with that wicked grin of his, and she knew he had gotten new information about the fabled map. Silver was on a journey for the legendary Treasure Planet, and Starla was his first mate in the crew. When he had first told Starla what his intentions were, she was only twelve had thought it was absolutely ridiculous. Treasure Planet is just a story. But she went along with it, pretending she knew it was real, as he did. She pretended so long as it would keep her trained and alive. But eventually she had the thought that maybe, just maybe, the loot of a thousand words existed. _And I could be rich._

In that moment she smiled, grasping her mother's silver locket. She held it sometimes, mostly without realizing it, for luck, for reassurance, or just to make sure it was there. It was the last trace she had of her parents, and was never getting rid of it.

Starla shook her head and pushed the auburn waves from her eyes, leaning against the dead Captain's desk as Silver sat in the chair and wiped the sweat from his brow. He whistled to the crew, signaling them to come to him. Starla stretched her arms up and sat on the desk, waiting for the rest of the crew. This ship was terribly small, only six crew members including the Captain, and they had slayed them easily enough. It wasn't their treasure they wanted anyway, it was information.

The crew gathered in, most holding some loot they'd found. Starla rolled her eyes and tried to hold her tongue from saying something impolite. Everyone gathered around the desk and Silver, waiting to hear what he had to tell.

"Alright lads, we have someone new to go after," he began, and Starla felt the bubble of anticipation begin to blossom in her stomach. Yes, her entire being was morally wrong, but she loved the feeling of the chase. Sue her. She waited for Silver to continue, but instead he looked directly at Starla herself, pointing a mechanical finger at her.

"Yer not comin' with us, lass. I have a different job for ya," he began. He then stood up and began to address the rest of the crew. Starla felt a slight rage inside her where the anticipation had once been. Not going with them? Did he not think she could handle what was coming? She didn't listen to what Silver was saying, mostly out of spite, and instead stood up and made her way to the windows, staring out at the open space behind the ship. Her left gripped her sword much harder than necessary, and she let out a sharp breath. _I am no longer a child__,_ she thought to herself. _I can handle whatever your damned crew can._

A hand on her shoulder shook Starla from her thoughts, and she turned to see Silver. He lifted up his hands in surrender, and gave her a small smile.

"I'm sorry lass, but I can't have ye with us for this one. I'm sendin' ya somewhere, to try and find out information about the map," he told her.

Starla felt myself grow red in the face momentarily. Oh. She wasn't being sent off for protection, as Silver once tried to do. He needed her for another facet of the mission. Starla let out a breath and felt ridiculous; giving Silver a smile to let him know she was calm. She waited patiently for him to continue.

"I need ya to head to Montressor Spaceport. Lots of spacers, but ye know how to avoid 'em. There are a lot of pirates there, as well, and that's why I need ya there. I got a name from this here Captain before I finished 'em off. Billy Bones. He said that last he heard, Bones was headin' to that Spaceport. We need to find him lass, and I need ya to find out everythin' ye can."

Starla nodded her head once, understanding what needed to be done. Silver went on to tell her that he and the rest of the crew will be heading to the nearest planet, Hijan, to track down Bones. They'll be leaving her there, to catch a ship heading to the Montressor Spaceport. Starla smiled, the anticipation once again blossoming inside her. She looked forward to these missions, where she would be free to do what she pleased. She admitted to herself that she was more excited than she should be. Mentally shaking herself, she came back to her head and tuned back in to what Silver was saying. He was describing the old salamander, so she'd know what to look for.

Silver finished with Starla and the crew, and they headed back to their own ship and prepared for Hijan. It would only take an hour or two to get there, so after they'd gotten the ship ready to go, Starla collected her things together and prepared for her trip to Montressor's Spaceport.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Warning

Chapter 3

The Warning

Nothing. Four days slumming about the Spaceport, avoiding spacers asking questions, bored Robocops looking for an arrest, asking around and threatening fellow pirates if needed, and Starla had nothing. The Spaceport was gorgeous, she had to admit. Brimming with ship upon ship and every kind of alien you could think of. When she first arrived, Starla was highly impressed. Being used to sailing for months on end, and sticking to shady planets and ports, she wasn't used to seeing so many and so much. It was all so much to take in, and her first day being there was filled with simply wandering around.

She got used to all the different areas, the twists and turns, and all the quirky little shops and homes scattered here and there. It was a new adventure, and it was all hers. The whole crescent-shaped port was stunning and Starla couldn't wait to explore every inch of it. So her first day in this brand-new dwelling was filled with walking around the different places, gazing up at the grand ships or helping someone with a stuck rigging. For the first time in many years, she didn't have a care in the universe.

But soon she started to wear thin. The entire first day she slacked off, running about having a good time, only asking a few people about Billy Bones -nobody knew who he was- and spent the night at a warm and comfortable pub. She slept well that first night, but rose early in the morning to get started. Starla charmed her way through many sailors, even chancing a few spacers when they knew nothing. But she hadn't gotten a single inkling to who Billy Bones was, and had no clue what Silver was up to. By the third day of the same, she was losing her patience. It seemed that Bones had never been to Montressor Spaceport, and that the rumor that he was headed there was just that - a rumor.

On her fourth night at the Spaceport, Starla sat alone at the bar on the first floor of the pub, drinking a light alcohol as she thought through her options. She could continue exactly what she was doing -boring herself at the pub every night, and simply wandering around and asking about Bones during the day- or she could head somewhere else. But she didn't want to disappoint Silver, or not be here when he came for her. _If he came for me._ Starla sighed and finished off her drink, resting her head on her hand and staring into -no pun intended- space.

Just then a thought occurred to her, and she realized it was probably her best option. The planet below, Montressor. She could head there, stay there for a few days, and find out any information she could on Bones. It was a reasonably small planet, much like the ones she was used to. Back on her second day on the Spaceport, Starla had spent a lot of time gazing down at Montressor, and wondering what might be down there. _A whole other adventure, just waiting for me to board a Galactabus and get there. _Rubbing her eyes and running a hand through her hair, she decided that was her best -and only- option. In the morning, she'd be heading down to Montressor.

Turn on the charm, that's the key to any good lie. Flash a smile, show some innocence; you're golden. Starla had landed that morning on Montressor, and had soon discovered it was a mining planet. Very quaint and homely, she liked it already. The Galactabus dropped Starla and the rest of the passengers off at one of the many docks on one side of Montressor; there were a couple dozen lined in a row. Walking off the dock, she looked the row up and down, trying to see where to start. Pursing her lips, she looked down her left and just ahead, where she could see smoke billowing from a chimney. She could tell it was a rather large building, and there were a handful of ships docked around it. A pub, maybe. Well, it was her best shot as any. She began the walk towards it.

After a few minutes and polite smiles to passing aliens and sailors alike, Starla neared the walkway of the building. There was a sign stationed there, and, upon reading it, Starla found herself at the Benbow Inn. She stopped there, and took a moment just to look at it. It seemed very warm and inviting, and she felt herself smile at the invitation it seemed to emanate. Starla lightly shook the hair back from her face and pulled her pack up higher on her shoulder, beginning to walk to the Benbow's front door.

Smile and innocence. Turn on that charm. Starla smiled and laughed with Sarah, the owner of the Benbow. She'd walked into the inn, and Sarah showed up, all smiles, introduced herself as simply 'Sarah Hawkins' and told her to find herself a seat, she'd be with her in a moment. She was quite lovely, but looked extraordinarily tired and strained. Her medium brown hair was held up messily with a simple ponytail and a cap, but a few strands had escaped, and fallen into her light blue eyes.

Not wanting to bother her too much, Starla sat by a window, gazing out at the desolate terrain, waiting until Sarah had time for her. She sat patiently, her hands cupping her neck as she watched Sarah flit around the place. She'd promised a Mrs. Dunwiddie her purp juice, served a family their meal, and gave her shockingly canine-like friend Delbert -they seemed to be friends, going by their conversation- his Alponian chowder. With extra solara seed, of course. Starla smiled when Sarah walked to her table, just one over from Delbert's. Starla motioned for Sarah to sit across from her, and she crossed her legs under the table, leaning forward slightly. Sarah looked a little puzzled, but sat down anyway.

"So, Sarah," Starla said, remembering the name the older woman had introduced herself with, "I was wondering if you had a spare room that I could stay in," she began, flashing her a smile.

"Oh yes, we have an opening right now. How long were you planning on staying?" Sarah asked.

Starla shrugged, still unsure. "Few days minimum, couple weeks maximum. Until I can track down my uncle," she looked down, making sure to look worried and nervous. That was the plan whenever she and Silver were separated for any time or reason; Starla was stranded on this planet and looking for her uncle.

Sarah reached her hand over to pat one of Starla's, giving her an understanding look. "You can stay as long as you want, uhm..." she left her sentence open-ended, waiting to hear the young woman's name.

Starla looked up brightly, smiling. "Thank you, Sarah. And my name is Starla."

She flashed her a grateful look, and perked up a little when an idea rooted itself in her brain.

"Actually... Forgive me, but I heard you talking to your friend there," she began, motioning to Delbert, "- and you said that you were rather busy. What about… Well, I could work for you, help you with the guests and whatnot, in exchange for lodging?" She asked, ending her sentence with a wide-eyed, innocent and hopeful look. At the look she received, Starla mentally smiled. Sarah was putty in her hands.

Sarah's eyes widened momentarily, but she was won over. She gave Starla a motherly smile and nodded. "That sounds great, Starla. Now, I have other customers, so you relax for now, and we can work something out after the rush of customers is over, okay?" She stood and Starla nodded, thanking her. Sarah walked over to Delbert, who had apparently just been abused by a toddler. Starla felt herself chuckle as the young girl skipped away to her family, and she lifted her pack up onto the table. She dug around, looking for her book, when her ears -figuratively- pricked up to eavesdrop on Sarah and Delbert's conversation - hey, she's a pirate. They were talking about someone named Jim - and by the look on Sarah's face and the context of the conversation, Starla guessed that Jim was her son.

She smiled, looking forward to meeting this elusive and seemingly trouble-making Jim. Starla'd just settled herself comfortably into her chair when the door to the Benbow suddenly crashed open, showing two Robocops holding a teenaged boy between them. Starla's first instinct was to jump and run, but they addressed Sarah, not even glancing at the young girl. Starla tried to keep calm and look utterly ignorant, but her heart was racing. She wasn't all that comfortable being this close to two Robocops when she's not exactly a law-abiding citizen. She set her book on top of the table, and reached her hand back to the waistband of her trousers, where her father's gun was hidden from sight.

Sarah had dropped the pile of dishes she was holding and exclaimed "Jim!" when she saw who was at her door, and, despite herself, Starla grinned. So this was her son. Tsk tsk. Looks like he got himself caught. _Looks like my theory was right,_ Starla mentally congratulated herself, _judging by his looks, Jim is most definitely Sarah's son_. Same lovely blue eyes and medium brown hair. He looked to be right around Starla's age, most likely sixteen. He had his hair cropped at the top, shaved in the back and pulled into a braided rattail. Starla pursed her lips, silently studying him. It suited him. She bit her lip to keep back a grin when she noticed the golden earring hanging from his left ear. Starla raised an eyebrow when she noticed they had the same style of clothing on; boots -his were simple yet hefty, hers were lace-up combat- with loose-fitting pants –Starla's were deep black while his were lighter brown- and a simple shirt beneath a jacket -he wore a black shirt with a lighter jacket, while she wore a tight-fitting red shirt with a tight black jacket. Starla shook her head lightly and tuned back in to what was going on.

Jim tried to lighten everything a bit, pulling away from the Robocops. "Okay. Thanks for the lift, guys." But the first Robocop reached for his shoulder, pulling him back. "Not so fast."

"We apprehended your son operating a solar vehicle in a restricted area," the second Robocop explained, addressing Sarah.

The first one joined in. "Moving violation 9-0-4, section fifteen, paragraph… uhm…"

"Six," Jim supplied helpfully and more than a little sarcastically. Starla hid her smile once again. This one had a tongue on him, she liked him already. The Robocop thanked him, to which Jim replied "Don't mention it." Sarah, ignoring Jim's sarcasm, scolded him with a breathless "Jim!"

The second Robocop continued on. "As you are aware ma'am, this constitutes a violation of his probation."

Sarah, flustered, walked over to them, rubbing the back of her neck and thinking. "Yes, yes. No, I understand. Uhm, but, could we just -"

She was cut off by Delbert, who was getting up from his table and walking over to the Hawkins' and the Robocops. "Uh, ahem. Pardon me," Delbert began, "Officers, if I might, ah, interject here. I am the noted astrophysicist Doctor Delbert Doppler. Perhaps you've heard of me… No? Uhm, I have a clipping…" He began to dig through his pockets, looking for the aforementioned clipping.

The second Robocop stopped him after a moment. "Are you the boy's father?"

Delbert and Sarah began telling them no, talking over one another. Starla thought she heard Sarah say "eww" and saw Delbert looking offended, so she reached a hand up to cover her mouth and the grin that had found its way there. Sarah continued on; "He's just an old friend of the family."

The two Robocops rounded on Delbert then, leaning forward to intimidate and get him out of matters which he was not involved. "Back off, sir!" They said together.

"Thank you, Delbert. I will take it from here," Sarah said to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. Delbert straightened his shirt and tried to look normal. "Well, Sarah, if you insist." But a moment later he leaned into her and whispered, "Don't ever let me do that again," which Starla heard, as she was close enough to them. She couldn't stop her latest grin escaping.

Sarah turned to the Robocops and they continued on. "Due to repeated violations of statute 15-C we have impounded his vehicle. Any more slip-ups will result in a one-way ticket to Juvenile Hall," the one on the right said. The first Robocop added on, "Kiddie hoosegow." And finally, to add salt to the burn, the second one just had to add on yet another term. "The slammo."

They let Jim go then, and Sarah pulled him forward, placing a hand on his chest to stop him from walking right past her, as so obviously was his intention. "Thank you, officers. It won't happen again," she said pointedly to Jim.

The second Robocop picked up. "We see his type all the time, ma'am." And they began to add on to each other again. Do they do this often? It was a tad annoying. "Wrong choices." "Dead-enders," there was the second Robocop again. And finally the first one rounded it off. "Losers."

Jim looked up at that, offended. Starla studied him for a moment as the Robocops took their leave, closing the door behind them. For a split second it was completely silent in the Benbow, as everyone was looking at Sarah and Jim and what just happened. Starla felt as though she was intruding, so she looked away and picked up her tattered book, not paying attention to the written words, but the ones being spoken.

"Jim, I have had it," Starla heard Sarah begin. "Do you want to go to Juvenile hall, is that it?" From the corner of her eye, Starla could see Jim had turned away, distracting himself with dishes on a close-by table.

"Jim? Jim, look at me," Sarah said sternly, sounding like the mother she was. "It's been hard enough keeping this place afloat by myself, without you going -" Sarah had begun her lecture, but Jim cut her off, turning around and giving her a light smile.

"Mom, it's no big deal. There was nobody around. Those cops just won't get off my…" He trailed off when his mother put her hands on her hips, giving him a look. Jim looked away. "Forget it."

Mrs. Dunwiddie decided to use that moment to ask Sarah for her purp juice. Starla rolled her eyes. She could hear the exasperation in Sarah's voice when she addressed the woman, telling her she'd be right there. She turned back to her son. "Jim, I just don't want to see you throw away your entire future," and with that, she walked away. Starla did not envy Jim in that moment; having your parent disappointed in you was worse than having them mad at you. She heard Jim mumble "Yeah, what future?" as he headed back into the Benbow's kitchen.

Starla set her book down and ran a hand back through her hair; it had fallen in her eyes. Letting out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, she shoved her book into her pack, and walked over behind the main counter. Giving Sarah a wave to let her know what she was doing, Starla left her pack behind the counter and walked to the door Jim had just disappeared through. Reaching a hand up to fiddle with her mother's necklace, she turned around to push the swinging door open with her bum. She dropped the star around her neck and ran her hands back through her light brown waves, pulling it into a loose ponytail.

She walked into the kitchen to find it fairly small, but clean. Sarah seemed like the type to want things organized. Starla looked across the room to see Jim setting down dishes at the sink. He didn't look up; Starla guessed he was expecting it to be his mother. When he began to speak, it only proved her assumption.

"Mom, listen. You don't have to lecture me. I won't be going around there any…more," he dragged the last word out a bit, because he had turned around and spotted not his mother, but Starla leaning against the wall. She grinned at him and began to walk over to his position at one of the sinks, pulling off her jacket and throwing it on a nearby table, readying herself for dishes. Jim still looked blankly at her and she had to hold in the eye roll that was threatening to escape. Starla moved to stand beside him, and bumped her hip into his to move him over. There. Now she had plenty of room to do dishes. She flicked her ponytail in a show of nonchalance and smiled at Jim from a few feet over. He still had that blank look on his face, and Starla allowed this particular eye roll to escape.

"Hey, don't tell me, tell your mom. But from what I heard, I don't think you will be going around that restricted area. Heard your solar surfer got taken," Starla grinned into the soapy water and dishes as she began to scrub them clean. She could almost hear Jim get into a defensive stance, and she looked up to see him with his arms crossed across his chest, eyebrow raised.

"What are you, some kind of good girl?" He asked her. She chuckled under her breath. Oh, if you only knew.

"Maybe I am. But keep in mind that all good girls are just bad girls who don't get caught," she said to him, grinning. She looked up to see Jim fighting a smile. Starla winked at him and continued on with the dishes.

Neither teenager said a word, and after a moment Jim sighed, swallowing his pride, and picked up a towel. She washed, he dried.

"So," Jim began, "are you just some random who walked into the door and decided to do our dishes? Not that I'm complaining," he added with a smile. Starla smiled back as she handed him a now-clean plate.

"No. I might be here a while, and I needed some work and a place to stay. I'm working for your mom in exchange for a room," she explained, shrugging. "Oh, I'm Starla, by the way," she added as an afterthought, holding out her soapy hand for a shake. Jim smiled and took her hand, his own enveloping her smaller one. Even though they were nearly the same height, she seemed small in comparison. Starla shook herself mentally.

"I'm Jim, as you've already gathered. Pleased to meet you," he said, still smiling.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," Starla replied, smiling down at the chore laid in front of her.

It had taken a while, but Starla and Jim had finally finished up all the dishes, as well as cleaning up the main dining room. Afterwards, the young woman sat at her original table, stretching her legs out and running her hands through her hair. It felt good to let it out after having it up so long. She got up and stretched, wondering where Jim was. As if the universe could read her thoughts, Starla saw Jim walk right past the window. Looks like he finished up his sweeping of the staircases. She could tell he was still a bit bitter towards his mom, so she decided to head out the door and see if she could cheer him up.

Waving goodbye at Sarah, Starla headed out into the cool Montressor evening air. Almost immediately she thought about going back inside for her jacket –she had forgotten she'd left it in the kitchen- but decided against it. She could handle the cold. She wrapped an arm around herself, the other reaching up to fidget with her necklace; and looked around for Jim. The problem was there wasn't anyone around. So where'd he run off to?

Just as Starla was walking past the side of the Benbow, she heard a thunder clap in the distance. Looking towards the horizon, she saw the lightning follow it and groaned internally. She hated storms. At least she was safe on a planet, and not caught in the eye of one while on a ship, like she'd had so many times before.

Over the distant rumble of thunder, Starla heard a very distinct drop of pebbles on metal, and she looked up to see a small rock fall off the eaves of the Benbow. Raising an eyebrow, she backed away from the building a few feet, giving herself some space. Once she was happy with it, she ran and jumped up, grabbing hold of the low roof and pulling herself up. She heard something -someone, hopefully- slide down and felt a cool hand grab her upper arm and help her up onto the roof. She looked up to see Jim, and smiled.

"Well then soldier," she began as he pulled her all the way, her feet helping to push her up the incline, "how goes the day?" Starla asked with a grin. They crawled up to the top of the roof together, sitting side-by-side. He shrugged, and threw another pebble at the roof, watching it slide and fall off the edge. The young woman internally sighed. "Did I interrupt a serious thinking session? I could leave…" Starla offered, and began to slide herself down the roof. She felt Jim grab her arm once again, and looked over her shoulder at him. "No, you don't have to go. I was… Yeah, just thinking."

Starla crawled up beside him again, and gave him a light smile. "Anything you want to talk about?" She asked quietly. He shook his head, but smiled lightly at her. The two sat there in silence for a while, just watching the sky. From the window that they sat next to, Starla could faintly hear Delbert's voice, talking to Sarah. "I really don't know how you manage it, Sarah. Trying to run a business while raising a felon like - felon…fellow…fellow like Jim."

Sarah replied with, "Managing it? I'm at the end of my rope. Ever since his father left, well… Jim's just… never recovered." Starla looked up at Jim. Despite the fact that she had spent most of her time listening in on conversations, this didn't feel right. She shouldn't be listening to an intimate conversation like this. But Jim was looking down at the roof they sat on, and just shook his head. Sarah continued - "And you know how smart he is. He built his first solar surfer when he was eight!" Starla took a moment to be impressed by that, but Sarah went on.

"And yet he's failing at school, he is constantly in trouble, and when I talk to him, he's like a stranger to me. I don't know, Delbert. I've tried everything -" But they didn't get a chance to hear what Sarah was about to say, because suddenly there was the sound of engines spluttering above them, and Starla looked up just in time to see a spacecraft of some kind crash right into an empty dock near the Benbow. Jim didn't hesitate - He slid right off the roof and ran towards it. Starla followed a moment later, running a few feet behind him.

Jim reached the ship first, and knocked on the window. "Hey mister! Mister, you're okay in there, right?" But Jim jumped back suddenly, when a four-fingered hand with claws reached out and slammed on the window from the inside. Jim jumped back, and Starla reached back to grab the handle of her gun, but waiting for the right moment to remove it.

A moment later, the window opened up and out flew a treasure chest, its owner right after. He was a salamander, spluttering and coughing, holding his hat and cloak tight to him. Starla's eyes widened as she let out an audible gasp. It was Billy Bones.

Bones reached out and grabbed the front of Jim's shirt, pulling him close and muttering to him. "He's a-comin'. Can you hear him? Those gears and gyros clickin' and whirrin' like the devil himself!" He coughed throatily, and Starla felt her heart pounding. _That's Bones. And he's talking about Silver_. She could hear her heart beat as she tried to think through what to do. She didn't have a good enough weapon, and even if she pulled it on Bones now, what would she say to Jim? No, she had to wait for the opportune moment.

Jim was looking flustered; he wasn't sure what to do. "Uh, hit your head there pretty hard, didn't ya?"

Bones just walked, hunched over, to his chest, looking over his shoulder at Jim and the very-silent Starla. "He's after me chest. That fiendish cyborg, and his band of cutthroats." Bones lifted the chest up onto his shoulder, and Starla's eyes wandered towards it, knowing with all her heart that the map must be inside.

Bones continued on - "But they'll have to pry it from old Billy Bones' cold dead fingers afore I - argh." But he couldn't finish his sentence. A great coughing fit had overtaken him. Jim had shock written all over his face, and voiced it. "Oh my…" He knelt down to Bones, offering to help him. "Come on, give me your arm … That's it," Jim said as he pulled Bones' right arm over his shoulders, helping him stand. Before Starla even knew it was there, a light drizzle of rain started down on them, soon turning into a heavy downpour. The storm had come.

Starla shook her head and walked to Bones' left side to help take him to the Benbow. Maybe while they were helping Bones, she could grab the chest and run.

"Good lad… Good lass," Bones mumbled as the two humans helped him walk to the inn. Thunder sounded in the distance, and Starla looked up to watch the lightning follow it. She shook her head to get the heavy, wet strands of hair sticking to the side of her face out of the way as she and Jim walked Bones up the long drive. She heard him mumble "Mom's gonna love this," and grinned lightly under the weight of Bones' left arm.

Looking up to see how far there still was to walk, Starla saw the front window shut, and wondered what that was. She only wondered a moment, as Bones had another coughing fit, just a few feet from the door. They'd gotten him upright again a few moments later, and reached the front of the inn. Jim motioned for Starla to open the door - his free hand held the chest. Her eyes wandered to it as she reached forward, still holding Bones up, reaching her fingers out towards the doorknob. Inches away from touching it, the door opened, and there stood Delbert. He gave the group a shocked look as Sarah gasped from behind him.

"_James Pleiades Hawkins__!"_ Starla heard Sarah shout as she and Jim pushed their way past Delbert, bringing Bones in from the cold. Starla made a mental note to remember Jim's full name. She stood beside Bones as he lay on the ground, Jim kneeling on his other side.

"Mom, he's hurt. Bad," she heard Jim say to his mother. Starla pushed her dripping hair from her face and looked to her left at Sarah, who stood near Bones' head. She faintly heard Delbert close the door and walk over to them.

Bones looked up and pointed a shaky finger at his chest. "Me chest, lad," he said to Jim. The latter slid it over so it was within Bones' reach, and he began to push in a passcode on the chest's three buttons. "He'll be comin' soon," he said quietly, "-can't let them find this!" He reached into the now-open chest, pulling out a tightly-wrapped sphere. Starla recognized the shape from the old drawings and descriptions, and hoped beyond all hope she was right as to what it was. The map, leading to Treasure Planet. She could feel her eyes widen, and she pressed her hands to her mouth to keep her gasp from getting out. Fortunately, no one noticed her actions. _Please, please be the map._

Jim's voice pulled her from her racing mind. "Who's coming?"

Bones reached up to grab Jim's collar, pulling him down to whisper in his ear. Starla kneeled down, wanting to hear what Bones was saying to him. "The cyborg… Beware the cyborg…" And Billy Bones gave one last shaking breath, before letting go of Jim's collar and dropping to the floor, dead.

Starla's eyes softened a fraction, but then noticed that Bones had pushed the wrapped package into Jim's hands. Her eyes remained there a moment, as Sarah let out a soft "Oh!" and covered her mouth with a hand.

There was suddenly a bright light, coming from right outside the Benbow. Sarah, Delbert, Jim and Starla all looked up. The younger woman stood, recognizing the sound of engines. She pulled Sarah farther away from the front door and windows, ready to yell for her and the others to run. She could hear the engine land right outside, and pulled out her gun from its position in her waistband. It wasn't much, but maybe she could distract whoever was out there while Jim, Sarah, and Delbert got away.

Starla saw Jim move towards to window, opening its digital cover slightly to look outside. She couldn't see through the small space he opened, but she did see his eyes widen.

"Quick! We gotta go!" He said, grabbing Sarah's arm, and Starla's, as he dragged the two women up the stairs. Starla looked down to see Delbert at the door, about to look out through the peep hole, she assumed, but the door was shot at and he quickly began to run after them. "I believe I'm with Jim on this one!"

Starla pulled her arm suddenly from Jim's grasp. "You go on!" Starla yelled. Jim sent Sarah and Delbert running after him, but paused to look back at her. "Please, go! I'll distract them so you can get away!"

But Jim still wouldn't go. She groaned mentally, frustratingly shoving her hair over her shoulder. She stepped up to Jim, very nearly his height, and utilized her feminine methods of distraction. Locking her hands around his biceps, she kissed him quickly on the mouth, before spinning him around and pushing him towards the door Sarah and Delbert had gone through. Maybe that will keep him distracted. Starla shouted one final time; _"Go__!"_

Jim froze for a moment, and, with one final look at her, followed Sarah and Delbert. Starla looked through the open door, and could see he pushed the three of them out the window. She let out a breath and turned around, seeing the bright orange light of fire.

She momentarily froze, eyes fixed upon the light, before shaking her head and running to the top of the stairs. Starla hoped and prayed to whatever God might be among those stars that the voices she'd heard while urging Jim to leave, were the ones she recognized best.

Sure enough, when she reached the stairs, Starla could see members of Silver's crew, and Silver himself directing them where to look. She ran down the stairs, a smile plastered on her face, and grabbed her pack from behind the counter, securing it to my back and running up to Silver. He saw her just as she ran for him, and he gave her that wicked smile.

"Told ya Montressor was a good place to look for it, lass!" He said, chuckling. Starla shook her head at him and pointed to the door.

"Get out of here, fast. The boy has the map, I saw it." She was now sure that the package Bones gave Jim was indeed the map. Silver looked at her with that mechanical eye of his, and she saw it change from a bright yellow to red, as it so often did. She had noticed early on in her travels with Silver that his eye changed colour with his mood.

"Ah, blast it. LADS!" He called to the crew. He pointed his arm towards the door. "OUT, ALL OF YA! Map aint here no more; back to the ship!"

The crew all ran towards the door, rushing to the small boat they'd taken to get down to Montressor. As Starla followed behind Silver, she could see, far down the way, a small cart being led by some sort of creature, which she had no doubt carried Delbert and the Hawkins'.


	4. Chapter 4 - Starla's Quest

Chapter 4

Starla's Quest

It was a while later on the ship. Silver and his crew had boarded it quickly, not wanting to get caught by the constabulary, and flew far enough away from Montressor to be sure they wouldn't be followed. When they were a safe distance away, Starla had let herself take a breath. She was shaking a little, mostly because she'd forgotten her jacket at the burning Benbow -she took a moment to mourn that fine piece of leather- and was now only wearing a tight, sleeve-less shirt, and because she was still soaked from the rain. She wrung her dripping hair out, letting it soak the back of her shirt, wanting it to dry naturally. She knew she probably looked like a drowned rat, but she didn't really care.

Starla walked up on deck from the sleeping quarters where she'd left her pack, joining the rest of the crew in Silver's stateroom, where they were having a meeting. Slipping in, she heard Silver addressing the crew. She walked up to the front of the small room, where Silver stood facing everyone from behind a table. That odd little pink blob was floating around him, mimicking him every so often. Silver told Starla he was a morph - a shape shifter. Said that while she was on Montressor Spaceport, they were on Proteus 1. Morph -what an original name- stuck with Silver ever since. Starla rolled her eyes at Morph flying around as she jumped up onto the table, sitting at the edge and wringing her hair out again. She tuned into the conversation.

"- figure out where the kid's staying, and take the blasted thing from him!" One of the crew members was saying. Silver was rubbing his temple, and Starla found herself lost in thought once more. _Think Starla,_ she -ironically- thought to herself. When she and Jim were doing the dishes, they had talked about Treasure Planet. She asked him what he knew about it, and he said he knew all the stories about it, and was one day going to find it. She remembered having to bite her tongue at that. She had almost invited him onto the crew. He's as passionate about travelling as she is, is her age -Jim IS sixteen. Starla made a mental note that she owes herself ten quid- AND he's human. Ugh, it's Christmas. Starla mentally shook herself, hiding the grin that crept onto her face. And there was that kiss… She shook her head, looking up and over her shoulder at Silver.

"Stop," she said loudly, and he looked over at her. She'd cut him off, mid-sentence. Whoops.

"What did ya say, lass?" He asked, giving the girl a light glare - if such a thing exists.

She shook her head. "We don't have to hunt and kill them. They're not stupid – They've probably already figured out that it's a map. That it leads to Treasure Planet. All we have to do is hang around the Spaceport for a while, and wait until a man by the name of Delbert Doppler starts asking around for a crew," she finished, looking hopefully at Silver.

He rubbed his chin, thinking. "It has to work," Starla said to him. "We get ourselves hired as a crew, and get ourselves to Flint's trove."

Silver was still thinking it through, but after a minute, smiled.

"The lass is a clever one, I told ya all. Starla and I will go to the Spaceport, and get us hired as Doppler's crew. We'll get to Flint's trove, get all the treasure we can carry, and then kill 'em all!" He said with a laugh. The rest of the crew laughed and muttered their agreement. Starla let herself have one small moment of sadness over Delbert, Sarah, and Jim. They were, in a way, somewhat friends of hers now. She shook herself. _You can't let yourself get attached to anyone,_ as Silver once told her. _Not in the life we lead._

A few days later, Silver and Starla had just arrived on Montressor Spaceport. They had flown down to Montressor in groups -one longboat couldn't hold the whole crew- before finally letting the ship coax off on its own. They would all take different Galactabus' and meet up at a dingy pub on the outskirts of the Spaceport, two days later. Silver and Starla went first to the great crescent, and the latter didn't really care enough to wonder when the rest of the crew would arrive.

She wandered slightly behind Silver, and noted that they looked like a couple of merchants looking for somewhere to stay for the night. The rest of the afternoon passed without incident, and Starla heard no whisper nor saw any sign of Jim or Delbert. Maybe they hadn't figured out it was a map yet.

She went to sleep that night, in the dingy old pub, wondering what Jim's face looked like, when he discovered what he held in his hands.

It was the third day. Silver's crew was all here now, and Starla didn't have much to do, other than walk all day. If she saw any sign of Delbert or Jim, she'd run right back to Silver and tell him. It was easy and boring work, but she was the only one looking for Delbert, as it was difficult to describe the canine in a flattering and recognizable way. Jim would be easy enough to spot, but she doubted Jim would be the one hiring a crew and commissioning a ship. So all through the day, Starla wandered the Spaceport, asking the merchants and travellers if they'd seen him or heard if anyone was hiring a crew for a long expedition.

She was beginning to lose hope as the third day came to its end, thinking she'd never see Jim again, and realizing that their last lead on finding Treasure Planet was dwindling ever smaller.

Starla was standing near a small café, which was closing its doors and windows for the evening, and had begun to walk back to the pub, when she heard her.

A woman, most definitely, with an accent that Starla couldn't place.

"I'd be happy to be captain for this Doctor Doppler, Arrow. I assume he's finding his own ship and crew?" She was saying, talking to someone named Arrow, apparently.

"That he is, ma'am. He's already found a grand vessel, the RLS Legacy, if I remember correctly. He should be able to find a crew around this port very soon. Many men looking to work a sail around here," the man -Arrow- replied to her. Starla walked silently over to the side of the café, to see an extraordinarily thin woman with a definite feline feel to her. She walked with her chin up, definitely a captain. Beside her was Arrow. A boulder of a man… Literally. He walked loudly and within the dying light of day, Starla could see he had a very… Rock-like feel to him. She bit her lip to keep her joyous laugh held in; she'd found him. They discovered the map, and they've got a captain and a ship.

She turned and ran as fast as she could, not bothering to apologize to the aliens she bumped into in her rush to get to the pub. She spotted it after about half a minute of running, a smile playing at her lips the whole while. She slowed her running as she reached the door, and walked briskly up to the bar where she could see Silver was enjoying his pipe.

"That thing will kill you," Starla said to him, breathing heavily and still smiling. Silver looked her up and down before smiling when he saw the look on her face.

"Ya found him?" He asked her, hopeful.

Starla nodded her head, letting out a small laugh. "Oh, I found him."

That night, Starla told Silver and the crew everything she knew. Delbert had commissioned a ship - the RLS Legacy. She didn't know the Captain's name, but she would definitely be recognizable. So would her first mate, Arrow. So they made a plan. Silver would track down Delbert - through Arrow and the Captain, if he had to. He'd trick his way into getting himself and the rest hired as the crew. It would work - Silver's tricks always worked. Delbert would most definitely recognize Starla, so the cover will be the same as always: Silver is her 'adopted' uncle. She'd told Sarah that she was on Montressor looking for her uncle, and had told Jim the same when the two had been doing dishes that day. Could it have only been three days ago? No doubt Sarah would have told Delbert about her, so there was no need to re-explain her cover to anyone. She would tell Delbert she'd escaped the pirates and the fire at the Benbow by running to the nearest home, and she came to the Spaceport looking for somewhere to go. It was there that she'd heard about Delbert looking for a crew, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Starla had a good sleep that night, knowing she'd be on a ship soon. She was most comfortable there. In her dreams, she was the captain she'd dreamed of being. But instead of being a feared pirate, she was a proper captain, like that woman she'd overheard. In the dream she was well respected, and famous for good reasons. It was an odd dream, but even more odd was that Jim was with her. If she was honest with herself, she never wanted to wake up.

But awaken she did. It was late in the morning; she could feel it in her bones. Usually she would wake herself up quite early; growing up on ships does that to you, when there's work to be done. If not, Silver would wake her up. But today she woke up to hear people bustling about outside her room's window - it was definitely late in the morning. Starla jumped out of the small bed and pulled on her boots, then made sure her father's gun was tucked safely away from sight in the back waistband of her trousers, carefully hidden beneath her loose shirt. Her regular tight red one was currently folded and settled in her pack, she was now wearing a loose, off-the-shoulder black one. Looking at herself in the cracked mirror beside the door, she looked like her mother. Starla reached up to gently touch her necklace as her eyes fell shut_. I miss you, Mother and Father_. She shook the thought from her mind, before smiling at herself in the mirror. Today was the day, she could feel it. She pulled her pack over her shoulders and on top of her comfortably loose shirt -another moment of remembrance for her jacket- and made her way out of her room on the second floor of the pub. She brushed through the tangles in her hair with her fingers as she walked down the stairs, only to nearly walk right into Silver at the bottom.

"Aye, I was just comin' to get ya, lass," he said to her, a great wicked grin on his face. Starla smiled up at him, raising an eyebrow and beckoning him to continue. He did.

"I was up early this mornin', and headed to find this Doppler. Instead, I found the cat and the rock ya was tellin' us about. Captain Amelia and her first mate, Mister Arrow," Silver rolled his eyes, but continued. "I did a bit of finagling, and got us hired. All mornin' I've been at the meetin' with her, discussin' the finer details. Point is lass, we're hired! Come down to this port -" Silver handed the details to her on a piece of paper. "- as soon as ya can, lass. The crew's already there, gettin' things together and ready for the launch." Silver smiled at her then, reaching over to ruffle her hair as he so often did. Starla smiled up at him.

"I need to get back there now. I'll be the cook," he chuckled as Starla rolled her eyes. Silver cooking. Yum. He continued, "Ya can take your time if ya want. Buy some new things for the voyage," he shrugged. She nodded, and gave him a wink and smile.

"I'll be there soon, Captain," Starla said, giving him a wave and walking past him, out into the open air. She began to head towards a shop close by the pub, intending to trade for a new jacket.

Author's Note: I did a bit of changing of the facts for this one. Because it confuses me. Silver says in the meeting with the crew that he finagled and got them hired, yes? And Amelia says to Delbert that she doesn't approve of the crew that he -being Delbert- hired. And yet, when Arrow brings Jim and Delbert down to meet Silver, Delbert and Silver hadn't met yet. Confused? I think yes. So even though it doesn't make much sense, Amelia is going to be the one who hired Silver and them. And I'm not even going to include a chapter where Amelia talks to Jim and Delbert in her stateroom, because it's all in Starla's pov. But hell, maybe I will have Starla there with them and include it. Because Amelia is just so goddamn witty there and I love it. Alright. I'll stop now. Thank you for reading! Reviews are Karen Gillan's accent.

Kisses and cumshots,

Melanie


	5. Chapter 5 - The RLS Legacy

Chapter 5

The RLS Legacy

Author's Note: Ohmygods, I'm so sorry. I just uploaded the chapters and posted, I didnt even bother to edit them. So there's no page breaks in the previous chapters and they look horrible and it's making me angry.

Anyhoodle.

Thanks for reading! Special thanks to those who reviewed x

Kisses and cumshots,

Melanie

* * *

Starla was feeling good. Her medium brown hair was dry and flowing out behind her, her brand-new jacket fit perfectly, accentuating the curves she'd never noticed she had, and she was headed to the ship that would take her to Treasure Planet.

All in all, a pretty good day so far.

She followed Silver's hastily written instructions, down to a small berth with a truly impressive and grand ship, that which she assumed to be the RLS Legacy. She looked up in awe at the ship, never having been on such a beautiful vessel. She couldn't help but let out a small laugh as she looked up, studying its fine paint and sails. The wind whipped her hair into her face and she pushed it away impatiently as she gazed up longingly; she was in love. Soon the sense came back into her, and she shook herself. Forcing herself to look ahead instead of up, she began to walk closer to the Legacy, heading towards the stepladder which lead onto the ship. Lost in thought and still staring up as opposed to ahead, she didn't notice she'd walked into anyone until she fell.

Starla was still mesmerized by the fine detail of such a ship, so she didn't pay attention to where she was walking. She could have walked straight off the edge of the port, and wouldn't notice a thing. She stared up at the Legacy, and suddenly felt herself crash into a warm, living thing. Taken by surprise, she jumped back by instinct, but lost her balance, and fell down on her bum. She reached back in panic to make sure her father's gun couldn't be seen, and let out a breath when she could feel it safely hidden under her shirt. Starla looked up to see who she had walked into, and felt herself gasp. Wide blue eyes bored into her own brown ones, as she and Jim Hawkins stared at each other in shock.

Jim held his hand out to help her up, and Starla gratefully took it, needing the leverage to help pull herself up. Instead Jim pulled her up, hard and fast, and she caught her footing quickly but nearly lost it again when Jim pulled her into a hard hug. Starla's eyes widened in shock at first, but she let her arms move to hold him tight, her face buried in his neck.

"I - I thought you were killed, at the Benbow," she heard -felt, really- Jim say quietly. Oh. Starla closed her eyes and gave him a quick squeeze, pulling back and smiling at him.

"Can't get rid of me," she said, and he smiled back at her. She looked over at Delbert, who was staring at her with wide eyes. She raised an eyebrow at his metal suit, pursing her lips in amusement.

"Good heavens, Starla!" Delbert began, "How ever did you escape those blaggard pirates?!" This was the time to turn on the charm. She looked down, letting an upset look flash across her features. She saw Jim reach out a hand, as if to touch her shoulder, but he pulled back. That was a bit odd, Starla thought to herself. She shook her head and looked up, giving Delbert and Jim a sad smile.

"I ran down the stairs, and distracted the pirates. Made them chase me to the back of the Benbow, where I barred the door from the outside. They could only get out through the front, then. And then, well. I ran," she let out a shaky laugh, shrugging. "I ran to the nearest house. Next day, I came here, to the Spaceport. Needed to find some work. But I'm glad you two are safe. And Sarah?" She asked, eyes widening. She didn't need to pretend to be worried. But Jim just smiled.

"She's fine, Starla. We all got out safely." She smiled at that.

Delbert looked to be thinking through something. Starla was about to warn him not to think too hard now, he might break something, but he looked up at her. Oh no. Did he see a hole in her story? She was preparing a dozen different lies in her mind when Delbert pointed at the Legacy.

"You're not - Are you coming on this voyage?" He asked her. She let out a breath and gave them both a huge smile.

"Yes! I got hired for the crew this morning," Starla told them, still smiling. Jim looked excited, and for a moment, she was too. It didn't even cross her mind that Jim would be coming too; she was too focused the past few days on Delbert. As she stood there, she realized she was quite happy that Jim would be there too.

She stepped through Delbert and Jim, and faced them with her back to the Legacy.

"Well, don't just stand there looking at it. Let's go!" Starla said, grinning as she grabbed Jim's hand and pulled him towards the stepladder. Jim smiled at her and she felt a bubble of nervousness flutter in her stomach. She was reminded of the kiss they shared, in those final moments before he ran off to his mother and Delbert. It didn't mean anything, she told herself. It was only to get him to leave. _But,_ another voice whispered to her in the back of her mind, _there are a dozen other ways to get someone to leave_. She shook her head and ignored the fluttering in her stomach and her errant thoughts, as she and Jim made their way to the ship.

Jim reached the ladder first, and Starla let him climb up ahead of her. She could almost feel the excitement emanating off him in waves. She smiled lightly to herself as they climbed up, excited to finally be getting back on a ship. Jim climbed over the edge of the railing, and she followed suit.

"How cool is this?" Jim asked, spinning in a slow circle to take it all in. Starla rolled her eyes and chuckled. Must be his first time on a ship. Suddenly, there was a loud squishing noise, and Starla saw that Jim had stepped on Mister Snuff.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean -" Jim began, but was cut off when Snuff started to make angry…squishy noises. Starla giggled as Snuff blew into Jim's face. She walked up beside him, still chuckling, and attempted to fix his hair for him. He looked confused about Snuff but smiled when she walked over.

"Allow me to handle this," Delbert began, before making noises identical to Snuff's, apparently communicating. There was a small smile growing on Jim's face, and Starla couldn't help but laugh at the whole situation. Delbert ended his half of the conversation, and Snuff began to laugh. She had no idea what just went on, but Starla learned long ago to just go with it.

"I'm fluent in Flatula, Jim. Took two years of it in high school. Pffft," Delbert said, ending with a goodbye to Snuff.

"Flatula?" Jim said, looking at Starla with a smile. "Cool," he finished, and the young woman rolled her eyes as they followed Delbert to where he had walked off to.

She recognized Mister Arrow instantly, but of course didn't show it, as he hadn't met her yet.

"Good morning, Captain," Delbert began when he walked up to Arrow, "Everything shipshape?" Arrow placed his hands behind his back and nodded in greeting at the three newcomers.

"Shipshape it is, sir. But I'm not the captain. The captain's aloft," he ended, gesturing up towards the mast. Climbing down in an acrobatic way and clearly showing off, Starla recognized the distinctive form of the feline she'd seen before - Captain Amelia. She grinned when she heard a distinct 'meow' coming from her general direction, just before she landed on her feet -cats always do, I hear- just in front of them. Delbert and Jim shared a looked and Starla just grinned. She liked this woman already.

"Mister Arrow, I've checked this miserable ship from stem to stern, and, as usual, it's… spot on. Can you get nothing wrong?" She ended with a shared grin with Arrow, and he tipped his hat to her.

"You flatter me, Captain." Amelia walked forward, nearly crashing into Delbert. They stared at each other for a moment, but soon Amelia was grinning.

"Ah. Doctor Doppler, I presume," she teased in a loud voice.

"Well, uhm, yes. I -" Delbert began, but was cut off.

"Hello? Can you hear me?!" Amelia asked loudly, banging on the front of Delbert's helmet.

"Yes, I can! Stop that banging!" Delbert said, clearly flustered. Jim and Starla shared a quick look of amusement. Delbert began to try and lift the helmet off, but Amelia grabbed the front of the suit, distracting Delbert, turning around the power source welded to the front. She turned it around, and plugged it in, where it was supposed to be, in the back of the suit.

"If I may, Doctor, this works so much better when it's right-way up and plugged in. Lovely. There you go," she said to him as she adjusted the suit. Beside her, Starla could hear Jim chuckle.

"If you don't mind, I can manage my own plugging!" Delbert said, unplugging the suit and holding it out as he addressed Amelia. She grabbed his hand for a shake, forcing him to let the plug go and send it whizzing back to its original position.

"I'm Captain Amelia, late of a few run-ins with the Protean Armada. Nasty business, but I won't bore you with my scars. You've met my first officer, Mister Arrow. Sterling, tough, dependable, honest, brave, and true," Amelia said, giving Arrow a wry grin.

"Please, Captain," Arrow replied, closing his eyes and smiling.

"Oh shut up Arrow, you know I don't mean a word of it," Amelia replied.

Delbert coughed and intruded on Amelia and Arrow's moment. "Ahem, excuse me. I hate to interrupt this lovely banter, but may I introduce to you Starla Montgomery, a new and valiant member of your crew." Starla walked up to Amelia and bowed her head in respect, smiling.

"Pleasure to meet you, Captain," she said to her as Amelia gave her a small smile. Delbert continued on.

"And this is Jim Hawkins. Jim, you see, is the boy who found the treasure -" Delbert was cut off once again by Amelia, who reached up to grab his cheeks, stopping him from talking.

"Doctor, please!" She said, giving a pointed look at the nearby crew members. A large and simply frightening alien with rippling muscles and four arms growled lightly at Amelia and Delbert. Starla gave them a pointed look, and the three crew members wandered off. She gave Jim a quick wink before addressing Amelia.

"I should be getting about my duties, Captain," she said to her, walking backwards towards the sleeping quarters. It was time for her to find Silver, and find out more about the plan. Amelia waved her off before looking back at Delbert and Jim. "I'd like a word with you in my stateroom."

* * *

Starla stepped lightly off the small staircase, looking about at the number of hammocks. She noticed one near the back corner, and decided that would be the best bet for her, seeing as it didn't have any other hammock near it, and with her being the only woman. She walked over to it and shrugged her pack off, setting it down in the middle of her new bed. She took her new jacket off, and folded it to resemble a pillow at the end of it. Pulling her father's gun carefully from her waistband, she hid it carefully underneath her jacket.

She stretched her back and arms before changing quickly into a different pair of trousers, and her regular sleeveless red shirt. Shaking out her hair, Starla pulled it up into a ponytail, letting the strands tickle her bare upper back. Smiling to herself as she tightened her boots, she made her way up and out onto the deck.

Now, Silver told her that he was going to be the cook on this voyage. So, logically, Starla headed over to another opening, another doorway leading down beneath the deck of the ship. She could smell food and hear voices, so she knew she had the right place.

To prove her right, she heard Arrow say loudly "Mister Silver?" And she smiled to herself and made her way down the steps, and stepped up behind Arrow, Delbert, and Jim. She walked up beside Jim and ran a hand down his arm, giving him a smile. He looked up at her in surprise, a small blush working its way up his neck. Starla felt her own cheeks warm slightly, as they both remembered the kiss. Starla dropped her hand from his arm, and focused back on the conversation going on around her.

She heard Silver whistling a simple tune, and saw him wearing much simpler clothes than usual, even an apron. Starla held back a chuckle as he came into view.

"Why, Mister Arrow, sir. Bringin' in such fine lookin', distinguished gents to grace my humble galley. Had I known, I'd have tucked in me shirt," he said, laughing and tucking his shirt -and apron- into the waistband of his trousers. Starla rolled her eyes and walked over to the circular kitchen, pulling herself up to sit on the wooden countertop. She could see Jim study Silver's mechanical assets, his eyes wide. She thought she saw him mumble something under his breath, but she wasn't close enough to catch it. Silver looked over his shoulder at her, sending her a wink. She smiled in return.

Arrow gestured to Delbert, who walked forward as he was introduced. "May I introduce Doctor Doppler? The financier of our voyage." Delbert bowed lightly to Silver, giving him a light smile. Silver brightened his mechanical eye, studying Delbert's suit from top to bottom.

"Love the outfit, Doc." Delbert reached down to cover his more personal bits, coughing nervously.

"Well, thank you. Uhm… Love the eye." To deflect the attention from himself, Delbert reached behind him to bring Jim forward by his arm.

"Uh, this young lad is Jim Hawkins." Jim stepped forward, ahead of Delbert. Silver walked forward and extended his mechanical arm, but the hand that was discharged was that of different weapons.

"Jimbo!" He greeted him, already conceiving a nickname, before realizing what hand was out and quickly changing it to metallic fingers. Jim gave him a cool, mistrusting look, but Silver paid no mind. He walked back over to his side of the counter, as Starla was still sitting on the opposite.

"Aw now, don't be too put off by this hunk o' hardware," Silver said to Jim as he began to prepare some sort of shellfish.

Silver used his hand to gut the shellfish quickly, throwing each one directly into a pan. He pulled up an assortment of vegetables, chopping them all quickly. Starla rolled her eyes when he 'cut off his hand.' She'd seen that trick too many times to enjoy it. But she did recognize what he was making, and her stomach began to grumble in excitement.

"These gears have been tough getting used to," Silver was saying, "but they do come in mighty handy from time to time," he finished as he cracked some blue eggs into the pan. He continued to hum his little tune, roasting the pan with an open flame from his mechanical arm before pouring its contents into a large pot in the center of the kitchenette. Adding spices and giving it a taste, Silver finished his stew. He poured three bowls, tossing one to Starla before going up to Delbert and Jim.

"Here, now, have a taste of me famous bonzabeast stew," Silver said, handing each of them a bowl. Starla brought her own up to her mouth and gulped some of it down, loving the salty warmth sliding down her throat; the heat warming her all the way from her stomach to her fingertips. She took a moment to think back on the last time she'd eaten. Not remembering, the woman shrugged, taking another swig of her stew.

Delbert sniffed his before giving it a taste. But he gave an 'mmm' and smacked his lips. "Delightfully tangy, yet robust." Silver smiled, saying "Old family recipe." Delbert moved his bowl up to have another taste, but the eyeball now floating in it most likely turned him off from it. Delbert gave a horrified look and let out a small "Aah!" as Silver came up beside him, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"In fact, that was part of the old family!" He said to the doctor, laughing. "Oh ho, I'm just kidding, Doc," Silver said after wiping his eye. He reached into Delbert's bowl and grabbed the eye, tossing it into his mouth.

"I'm nothin' if I aint a kidder," he continued, going over to Jim and winking at him. He placed a hand on Jim's shoulder and pushed the bowl closer to his mouth.

"Go on, Jimbo. Have a swig." Jim brought a spoonful up for inspection, a look of wariness plain on his face. Starla's eyes followed his, and she gazed at the spoon he held. But… Oh no. Silver hadn't given Jim a spoon…

Suddenly the bowl end of the spoon took on a bright pink colour, forming a mouth and two eyes. Jim gave a small gasp at that, and Starla rolled her eyes as Morph began to giggle and beg for more.

"Morph!" She said to the blob, scolding but smiling.

"You jiggle-headed blob of mischief!" Silver said, plainly amused. Morph turned himself into a straw, and sucked up the rest of Jim's stew for himself.

"So that's where ya was hiding," Silver continued as Morph turned back into his regular form, chattering before he let out a belch. Starla giggled and finished off her own stew, tossing the bowl -gently- into the metal sink. She looked up to see Morph cuddling against Jim's face, and she smiled at them, leaning up against the doorframe that separated the kitchenette from the tables.

"Wha - Ha! What is that thing?" Jim asked as he poked Morph. The blob mimicked Jim before shuddering into a dozen different pieces.

"He's… a morph," Silver replied as Morph turned himself into a tiny version of Jim, staring at the real one. "I rescued the little shape shifter on Proteus 1," Silver continued as Morph cooed at Jim, before flying over to Silver and snuggling into his neck. "Aw, he took a shine to me. We been together ever since." Starla rolled her eyes.

"And you just forget all about me as soon as you get a new pet, eh?" She teased Silver playfully.

She saw Jim and Delbert look up at that, confused and curious. Starla smiled and shrugged at them.

"Remember the uncle I was looking for? Well, I found him. Just yesterday," she told the pair, gesturing at Silver. He smiled and winked at her, while she smiled back. Jim looked at her with disbelief.

"What? Really?" He asked. She just laughed and shook her head.

"We're not actually related. Silver took me in a long time ago. We got separated a few weeks ago at a different port, thank the Gods he came to this Spaceport like I did. When I found him, we both got hired for this crew," she said, shrugging once again as she ended her little tale.

She saw Jim nod his head in understanding, and she let out her breath. He didn't see any holes in her story. Starla couldn't help but smile when Jim looked up at the sound of the bell, signaling that the ship is ready for launch.

"We're about to get underway," Arrow began, addressing Delbert. "Would you like to observe the launch, Doctor?" He asked him, gesturing to the door leading to the deck.

"Would I?" Delbert began, sounding excited. "Does an active galactic nucleus have superluminal jets?" Everyone was silent for a moment. Jim looked almost embarrassed for his friend. Starla raised an eyebrow. Delbert looked as if he were deflating before pointing at the door. "I'll follow you," he said to Arrow.

"Mister Hawkins and Miss Montgomery will stay here, in your charge, Mister Silver," Arrow said, giving Starla a stern look and holding Jim back from leaving the room. Silver, having a mouthful of stew at the moment, coughed and spluttered, choking on the stew.

"Beggin' yer pardon, sir, but -" He was cut off by Arrow, turning to give Silver a look.

"Captain's orders! See to it the new cabin boy…and girl, are kept busy."

Jim and Silver starting arguing at once. It was quite hilarious to be honest, coming from Starla's standpoint at least. She chuckled when they both sighed and face palmed. Silver looked up at Jim first.

"So… Captain's put you with me, eh?" He said, attempting a conversation, as he walked past Starla and over to the counter.

"Whatever," Jim said, clearly not happy with the decision. Silver only smiled.

"Well, who be a humble cyborg, to argue with the Captain?" Silver said, rolling up his sleeves as he began to prepare the next meal. Jim, never taking his eyes off Silver, walked back to the barrel of purps, grabbing one.

"Yeah… You know, these purps… They're kinda like the ones back home… On Montressor," Jim began, walking through the kitchenette, tossing the fresh purp between his hands. Starla eyed him warily… what was he getting at? She walked over to sit on the nearest table, watching him.

"You ever been there?" He asked Silver, walking closer to him.

"Eh, cant says I have, Jimbo," Silver replied, busying himself with his cooking, but he looked up a fraction, sharing a quick look with Starla.

"Come to think of it," Jim continued, taking a bite from his purp and hopping up onto the counter. "Just before I left, we met this old guy," Jim motioned to Starla before continuing, "- who was uhm, he was kind of looking for a cyborg buddy of his." Her eyes widened a fraction as she understood what Jim was getting at. She mentally smacked herself on the head; of course Jim wasn't that stupid. Get a warning about a cyborg from a salamander, also get map from aforementioned salamander, suddenly a cyborg appears on the ship to a destination from the aforementioned map. She tuned back into the conversation.

"Is that so?" Silver was saying, giving Starla another quick look.

"Yeah. What was that old salamander's name?" He asked, looking at the girl. She tried to look innocent.

"Bones. Billy Bones," she said, and looked curiously at Silver.

"Bones? Bones? Mm-mmm, t'aint ringin' any bells," Silver said to Jim, carrying his large bowl over to where Jim sat. He looked up at Jim, with an airy expression.

"Must have been a different cyborg. There's a slew of cyborgs, roamin' this port." Jim looked suspicious still, but was distracted by the soup Silver had set down. Jim looked absolutely disgusted, and Starla held in a laugh.

She looked up with Jim and Silver at the sound of the whistle signaling the cast off, Arrow shouting at the crew to prepare. Silver smiled at Jim.

"Eh, off with ye, lad. Watch the launch," he said, pushing Jim off the counter and towards the door. "Ya too, lass!" He called to Starla as she smiled at Jim and motioned towards the door. She gave Silver a hard look to his back as she and Jim made their way out.

"There'll be plenty of work a-waitin' for ya afterwards," he called to the two teenagers. He turned around to share a quick look with Starla, and she nodded. She placed a hand on Jim's back, smiling up at him as she led him towards the exit. Her small hand placed against his spine gave him shivers, and he grinned down at her. She smiled lazily back, refraining from offering up a wink.

She understood that look of Silver's well. Distract him, make sure he doesn't … Sniff about.


	6. Chapter 6 - Setting Sail

Chapter 6

Setting Sail

As Jim and Starla stepped onto the deck and into the bright light of day, the latter looked up to see Onus in the crow's nest, calling down to Amelia. "We are all clear, Captain!" She heard him shout. Starla looked below him and could see Amelia standing with Arrow and Delbert, as well as Turnbuckle at the wheel. Suddenly she heard Arrow shout "All hands to stations!" and everyone was flitting about. Since she and Jim would be working with Silver, she wasn't really sure what there was to do on deck. So instead, Starla wandered over to the edge of the ship, leaning on the railing and watching the Spaceport beneath them.

She soon felt Jim standing next to her, and she turned to smile at him, as she heard Arrow shout "Loose all solar sails!" Starla looked up above them to see the crew doing just that, and sighed. A part of her wished she was up there, helping them; feeling the wind through her hair… She couldn't hold in the grin that made its way to her lips as she felt the ship beneath her shift, and she leaned back down over the railing to watch the Spaceport slowly get smaller. She felt at her throat for her necklace, finding solace in its constant presence. She looked over at Jim, who watched the Spaceport as she did, with an amazed look on his face. He looked over at her just then, and the two grinned at each other like children. Starla was first to drop her gaze, shaking her head lightly once. Her thoughts kept drifting back to that kiss…

Arrow was still shouting orders at the crew, but Starla barely heard him. She was focused on the wind hitting her face as she leaned over that railing, and she closed her eyes. Starla smiled in pleasure, loving the feeling she got when the wind whipped her hair around her, not caring that it would become an unruly mess. Opening her eyes, she noticed Jim wasn't beside her anymore. Turning around so that her back was against the railing, she spotted Jim quite easily; he was standing by the mast, watching the preparation power lights illuminate in turn, signaling they were almost ready to cast off. Jim walked over to her when they were lit up, excitement plain on his face. He laughed happily and Starla rolled her eyes, chuckling with him.

And then they were floating. They were no longer within reach of the Spaceport's gravity, it seemed. Starla was lifted a few good feet from the surface of the deck, and could see her pant legs swishing about. She looked at Jim and he seemed to be in quite a similar position; with his arms lifted and his jacket floating around him. She smiled at his look of shock, and he looked up at her, chuckling at how she looked, she assumed. She could feel her hair drifting unnaturally around her, and she stuck her tongue out at Jim. But as soon as it had come, it was gone. Artificial gravity had been activated, it would seem, and Starla landed crouched down, on the soles of her feet. She stood up in one swift movement, and looked to see Jim looking down once more.

Hearing the revving of the engines, she walked to Jim, grabbing hold of one of his arms.

"Brace yourself," she told him, knowing full well they were about to cast off. She shifted the weight to her right leg, out behind her, as she felt the all-too-familiar jump the ship made, as it flew forward. She smiled as the wind whipped her hair into her face, but brushed it impatiently aside. Starla looked to her right to see Jim, standing in the shrouds beside her. She smiled and pulled herself up, holding on to one of the ropes as she stood at the top of the railing. Jim saw her and smiled; she could see how happy he was to be here.

A flock of flying space gulls flitted past the ship, and Starla looked up to see Jim with a content expression on his face, eyes closed. She looked around at the crew doing their duty, before averting her eyes back into the empty space around them. She leaned out as far as she could, her arm completely stretched out, still holding her secured to the ship; her feet firmly planted at the top of the railing. Her eyes closed for a moment, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness in this void, but Jim's exclamation of "Whoa!" made her open them.

Right there beside the ship, dozens upon dozens of Star Whales. Starla smiled in exhilaration; she'd only seen one in her whole life. One passed directly beside the ship, just inches from where she and Jim stood. She reached out her free hand to pat the whale, feeling its rubbery skin and smiling. She could see Jim move down the shrouds, walking at level with the whale's eye. From behind her, Starla could heard Delbert exclaim his shock and excitement and, looking back, could see he had gotten himself a face full of the whale's defecation.

Hearing the distinct sound of Silver's mechanical arm from behind her, Starla jumped down from the railing and walked over to him. He was shouting up at Amelia, it would seem.

"Ah, 'tis a grand day for sailin', Captain. And look at ya! You're as trim and as bonny as a sloop with new sails and a fresh coat of paint," he said to her, flashing a smile up at her while tipping his hat and bowing. Starla leaned up against the mast, watching. She chuckled when Amelia was having none of it.

"You can keep that kind of flim-flammery for your spaceport floozies, Silver." His shoulders drooped in defeat, and Starla grinned as Morph changed himself into Amelia, mimicking her by saying "Spaceport floozy!" over and over. Silver smiled nervously, enveloping Morph in his hat to shield him from view, sticking the hat on his head.

"You cut me to the quick, Captain. I speaks nothing but me heart at all times," Silver said. His hat began to float up as Morph once again began to mimic, this time saying "Nothing but me heart." Silver chuckled nervously a couple times, before slamming the hat back on his head. Starla merely shook her head, before walking over to her previous position, and leaning against the railing once more. Amelia raised an eyebrow at Silver, before speaking.

"And, by the way, aren't those your cabin boy and girl, aimlessly footling about in those shrouds?" Starla looked up to see Jim climbing down to the bottom of the shroud, still looking at the stars. She heard Silver sigh, and turned to see him raise his hands in surrender.

"Ah, a momentary aberration, Captain. Soon to be addressed." He turned to face Jim and Starla, hands on his hips.

"Jimbo!" He yelled at the boy, giving the girl a look. She rolled her eyes and stood up straighter.

Jim looked over as Silver walked over to him, hands behind his back.

"I got two new friends I'd like ya to meet," Silver was saying, and Starla sighed quietly. Jim looked from side to side, happily trying to meet his 'new friends.' Starla sighed once more as Silver grinned at Jim.

"Say hello to Mister Mop," a mop was thrown in the teens' general direction, Jim caught it in one hand, " - and Misses Bucket." This time a wooden bucket was thrown, and Starla had to jump to the side to avoid being smacked in the head. Raising an eyebrow and flitting her hair over her shoulder, she gave Silver a look as he laughed. She heard Jim mumble a sarcastic "Yippee," and couldn't keep from smiling.

* * *

"Yeah, I got your Mister Mop," Starla heard Jim say from her spot, perched atop the rail of the ship, one foot brought up to sit there on top and keep her steady, the opposite leg hanging down loosely. Silver had told her to keep an eye on Jim as he swabbed, and so that was what she was doing, as she practiced tying knots in a spare bit of rope.

She looked up when Jim nearly fell into her, and had to grab on quickly to avoid falling over the edge. She looked up with annoyance to see the alien who'd growled at Amelia earlier.

"Watch it, twerp," he said to Jim, and Starla raised an eyebrow at the pirate. Jim looked taken by surprise, but he looked up at her with a small smile and an apology. She smiled back and continued her knot tying, watching Jim from the corner of her eye as he began to mop once more. But he wasn't paying attention to it; he was looking at three crewmembers standing nearby, whispering to each other. Jim gave them a suspicious look, and from behind him, Starla waved an arm in warning at the three, finally catching one's attention. She pointed quickly down at Jim, and the pirate whose attention was now hers slapped one of the others in the arm, abruptly stopping their whispers. She rolled her eyes. Subtle.

Jim looked at the trio, studying them. The alien with the blonde dreadlocks and black cap -whom Starla knew to only be a head and not connected to the body it perched atop- sneered at Jim, saying "What are you looking at, weirdo?" as the alien beneath him crossed its arms. The first alien climbed off the second, as the larger one moved its arms to reveal a face in his midsection. He smiled at his companion before looking at Jim.

"Yeah, weirdo." Starla could almost see the look on Jim's face. She shot the three aliens a quick glare, before hearing a hiss coming from somewhere above her.

She looked up just in time to see Scroop, a spider-like alien with annoyingly deadly pincers, climb down from the shrouds and onto the deck of the ship.

"Cabin boysss should learn to mind their own businesss," he hissed at Jim. But the latter only looked intimidated for a moment, before fiddling with his mop and giving a small grin.

"Why? You got something to hide, bright eyes?" He said, antagonizing Scroop more. His eyes widened a fraction before dissolving into yellow slits. If looks could kill…

"Maybe your ears don't work ssso well," Scroop said, grabbing Jim by the collar and pulling him up. Starla jumped up to stand quickly, getting ready to move in were anything to happen. She groaned internally as Jim only made the situation worse, the smart arse.

"Yeah, ahem. Too bad my nose works just fine." She could have killed the kid herself.

Scroop gave an angered hiss. "Why you impudent little -" He said, throwing Jim up against the mast. Jim tried to wriggle from his grasp, but couldn't come free. Starla ran forward, her hand shooting for the gun in her waistband, but remembered they weren't to have weapons, and therefore didn't have it with her. She grunted unintelligibly to herself, before coming up beside Scroop, giving him a hard look. The crew had gathered around, shouting for Scroop to finish him off.

"Let him go, Scroop," Starla said, warning in her voice. He just gave her a sideways glance and a chuckle. She'd been in many fights, too many to count, and yet most of the crew still think she's a novice little girl. The thought made her grind her teeth. Scroop directed his attention back to Jim, glaring at him and bringing one of his claws up under Jim's neck.

"Any last wordsss, cabin boy?"

And then Scroop made a sound of shock and pain, and Starla moved to the side, looking under the arm holding Jim to the mast, to see what had happened. Silver had his mechanical arm, squeezing the life from the arm held to Jim's throat. Starla let a small, relieved sigh escape from her throat. She looked up at Jim, checking to see if he was alright.

"Mister Scroop," Silver began, carelessly chewing on a purp. "You ever see what happens to a fresh purp, when you squeeze real hard?" He asked, squeezing ever harder on Scroop's arm. He dropped Jim, now using his free hand to rub at his now-injured one. Starla smiled gravely as she kneeled down beside Jim.

"What's all this then?" She heard Arrow shout, as he came walking towards the gathered crew.

"You alright?" Starla whispered to Jim. He looked up at her and nodded, and she held the underside of his arm, helping to pull him to his feet.

"You know the rules," Arrow continued, "- there'll be no brawling on this ship." Most of the crew had gathered to form a small line, and Arrow walked down it, staring at each crew member in turn. He continued. "Any further offenders will be confined to the brig for the remainder of the voyage." Arrow turned to face Scroop directly, their faces inches apart. "Am I clear, Mister Scroop?" He asked. Starla could tell Scroop was about to hiss something impolite in his face, but just then a bright light shined in his face, and she looked over to see Silver, sending him a not-so-subtle hint. Scroop looked as if he internally sighed, the anger still written on his face.

"Transparently," he replied to Arrow, still seething.

Arrow gave one last look at the crew, before walking off. The crew muttered behind his back, but Starla's eyes were on Scroop. He gave Arrow a harsh look, and she gave Scroop his own, though he didn't see it. The crew began to disperse, and she could hear Silver shouting at Arrow's retreating figure.

"Well done, Mister Arrow, sir! A tight ship's a happy ship, sir!"

Starla sighed and looked back at Jim, who was leaning against the mast. She walked over and began to dust off the sleeve of his jacket.

"Don't mess around with these guys," she whispered in his ear, shooting him a quick look. Jim looked as if he were about to reply, but was interrupted by Silver.

"Jimbo! I gave you a job!" He said, holding up the discarded mop and pointing to it. Starla almost smiled at Jim's reaction. He's a defensive little thing, isn't he? Jim came suddenly to life, making wild arm gestures.

"Hey, I was doing it! Until that bug thing -" But he was soon interrupted by Silver.

"Belay that!" He shouted, coming close to his face. "Now, I want this deck swabbed spotless. And heaven help ya if I come back and it's not done," Silver said, gesturing to the heavens before pointing at Jim. The latter looked like he itched to shout something back, but held his tongue. Starla sighed quietly to herself at the tangible testosterone around her. She began to walk back over to her previous perch as Silver instructed Morph to keep an eye on Jim, but Silver's voice distracted her.

"Starla! Don't think ya can walk away from me, lass. Get over here." Starla sighed and spun on her heel, eyebrow raised at her adopted guardian.

"Yes?" She asked, giving a small smile.

"I need ya in the kitchen for now. Come down there," Silver said to her, flashing a wink. Meeting been called? Starla thinks so.

She sighed as Silver stalked away, before turning back towards Jim. He looked miserable and angry as he began to mop again. Morph had shifted himself to have a gigantic pair of eyes, watching Jim very closely. Starla smiled at that before waving goodbye to Jim, not noticing how he watched her until she disappeared from view.

* * *

Author's Note: This one's really boring, I'm sorry. And yes I named them Star Whales because Doctor Who. Anyhoodle. Thanks for reading this and I promise it will get livelier … Soon.


	7. Chapter 7 - A Mutiny In The Making

_Chapter 7_

_A Mutiny in the Making_

* * *

Starla walked down the steps and into the galley below deck, wondering what was to be discussed. She noticed nearly all the crew was there, excluding Silver and a few others who remained above, doing their duties. Walking to the front of the dimly lit room, she reached to grab a purp from the barrel that contained a pile of them. She took a small bite, wiping the juice from around her mouth. She then moved to sit at an empty table, sitting on the top and letting her feet sit atop the bench. The crew talked amongst themselves as she sat in silence, lost in thought.

The purp had just been finished when Silver walked into the room. She looked over her shoulder at him, and could see he had an absent-minded smile. Oh no. Not a good sign. He reached to clasp his hands behind his back, before gesturing at the crew.

"So… We're all here then," he began, just as Onus, the many-eyed short little alien, rushed into the room, walking past Silver and moving to sit on a bench.

"Excuse me," he said quietly as he passed, before looking up at Silver with a grin. Miraculously, Starla didn't roll her eyes.

Silver walked over to the alien that was only a head, and his companion, fiddling with the small alien's dreadlocks. The handful of crew members around there looked quite nervous, and rightfully so. Starla swallowed a lump in her throat, watching Silver as he continued to straighten the alien's hair.

"Now, if ya pardon my plain speakin', gentleman. Are ya all -" Silver began calmly. One of Starla's hands fisted against her knee, waiting for Silver to continue. Quick as a flash, his mechanical arm switched into a sword. "- stark-raving, totally blinking daft?!" He shouted, waving the sword about and making many of the crew members tremble.

"After all me finagling, getting us hired as an upstanding crew, you want to blow the whole mutiny before it's time?" Silver went on, a small bit calmer, ending his rhetorical question at Scroop. The pair stared each other down as Scroop hissed.

"The boy wasss sniffing about," he said to Silver, and Starla felt her heart rate quicken. She didn't want them to kill him. She - Wait, no. _I shouldn't care. I don't care. Kill the twit._ Starla shook her head of its errant thought, focusing her attention back to Silver and Scroop.

"Ya just stick to the plan, ya bug-brained twit," Silver was saying to Scroop, glaring at him. "As for the boy," he continued, looking at Starla over his shoulder. She gave him a nod, and he continued. "I'll run him so ragged he won't have time to think. And if he still has energy, well..." He chuckled then, sending the girl a knowing smile. She smiled back, though she felt it didn't quite reach her eyes. "… I have a secret weapon," Silver finished, gesturing to Starla. She stood, smiling her half-smile, as the crew around her chuckled ominously. But for the first time in a very long time, she didn't think what Silver told her to do, was the right thing.

* * *

Their first day aboard the Legacy was coming to a close. Silver had given Starla some work to do in the kitchens -inventory, mostly- and she had just finished. Stretching her arms above her head, she was glad to be finally climbing out from below and coming into the fresh air of the deck. She smiled when she saw Jim, still mopping away. She looked down to see Morph had turned himself into a miniature mop, cleaning Jim's shoes. Starla chuckled, walking over to the pair.

"Well this has been a fun day," she said, coming up behind Jim and taking him by surprise. He jumped slightly as he turned, but smiled when he saw who it was. She placed a hand lightly on his shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze. Jim smiled slightly before leaning on his mop. Starla dropped her hand and instead ran it through her hair.

"Making new friends," Jim said, gesturing to the mop. "Like that spider psycho," he added, smiling. Starla laughed as Morph turned himself into a smaller version of Scroop, mimicking Jim's "Spider psycho, spider psycho." Jim and Starla both chuckled at that.

"Little uglier," the latter said with a grin, and Morph looked thoughtful for a moment before changing his face to be a little maniacal, laughing evilly to go along with it.

"Pretty close," Jim said with a smile. He ran a hand back through his fringe, before looking up at Starla through his lashes. She was lovely, anyone could see that. Tall and slim, with big brown eyes and waist-length hair only a few shades lighter. She had a lock of hair twirled around her finger, her other hand playing at that silver star around her neck; her eyes were focused on his. When he saw that she had caught him staring, he looked away, mumbling an apology. Starla strode over, and placed a hand on his shoulder once again.

"Was there something you wanted to say?" She asked, and Jim looked into her eyes. He took a breath, his heart pounding. Yes, there was definitely something he wanted to say. The way she kissed him… He liked it… And wouldn't mind doing it again. But, no. That's stupid and creepy. So he wasn't going to say that. But, knowing him. That was exactly what was going to come out.

"Well, Starla. I wanted… About that kiss. I want -" But he was cut short, by Silver of all people.

"Thank heavens for little miracles," They heard from behind them. Turning, Starla could see Silver climbing the steps up to the upper lever of the deck where she and Jim stood.

"Up here for an hour, and the deck's still in one piece," Silver said jokingly. He had a great metal bowl in his hands, and moved towards the edge of the railing to dump food scraps over the edge. Morph had turned back into his regular blobish form, and jumped right over the edge after the food, hoping to get a taste. Starla smiled and rolled her eyes, leaning against the railing, looking up at Jim and Silver. She wanted desperately to know what he had been about to say, but probably wouldn't. There was an obvious blush rising on his neck, and his attention was focused on Silver. She deduced that he had worked himself up to mention their kiss, and she'd have to wait for him to work himself up once again.

"Uhm, look… I, uh -" she heard Jim mumble, and raised an eyebrow. He took a breath and continued, looking up from his mop to Silver.

"What you did…" Jim tried again, looking for a moment at Starla before returning his gaze to Silver.

"Thanks," he finished, smiling at Silver. Starla smiled at Jim, and could see Silver look momentarily surprised.

"Didn't your pap ever teach ya to pick your fights a bit more carefully?" He asked Jim. But he had stiffened, and Starla groaned internally. She remembered hearing Sarah and Delbert's conversation back at the Benbow… Jim's father had left, and Jim hadn't recovered from it.

Jim had turned away from Silver's gaze, and busied himself with the mop. Starla shot Silver a quick look before walking up behind Jim, placing a hand on his shoulder for comfort. Silver caught on, and continued.

"Your father not the teachin' sort?" He asked. Jim stopped his mopping for a moment to look at Starla quickly, before vigorously mopping the deck within an inch of its life. She stepped away from him, not wanting to crowd.

"No," Jim was saying, "he was more the taking off and never coming back sort."

Starla bit her lip lightly before rubbing the back of her neck, watching the tighten of Jim's shoulders.

Silver was looking unhappy at having brought it up. "Oh," he said, trying to diffuse the tension by giving a small chuckle. He walked up beside Jim, leaning on the railing. "Sorry lad," he added, looking at Jim.

"Hey, no big deal," Jim said. He gave an obviously fake smile, before leaning against the railing next to Silver. Starla hopped up to sit atop of it, watching Jim.

"I'm doing just fine," Jim finished, looking out at the stars. Silver gave a calculating look, before looking up at the young woman. She saw him look to her, but for once, didn't look back. She was watching Jim, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"Is that so?" She heard Silver say as he rubbed his chin. She looked sharply at Silver then, because she recognized that tone in his voice. Sure enough, Silver was smiling.

"Well, since the captain's put ya in my charge, like it or not, I'll be pounding a few skills into that thick head of yours to keep you out of trouble," he began, still grinning, as he poked Jim in the forehead. Starla rolled her eyes, smiling, as Jim began to protest. She remembered getting a similar speech when she first met Silver.

"From now on, neither me nor Starla is letting' ye out of our sight," Silver continued, and Jim whipped to look back at the young woman. She grinned wickedly, shrugging her shoulders.

"You can't do th-" Jim began, but was cut off by Starla's chuckle and shake of her head.

Silver went on, "Ya won't so much as eat, sleep, or scratch your bum without our say-so." He ticked off his fingers for each point, and slammed a fist on the railing as he finished, still smiling.

"Don't do me any favors!" Jim huffed, looking between Silver and Starla mutinously. She laughed at that, winking at Jim.

"You can be sure of that, darling. You can be very sure of that."


	8. Chapter 8 - I'm Still Here

_Chapter 8_

_I'm Still Here_

_Author's Note: Apologies for not updating in a while! Life getting in the way and whathaveyou. Anyhoodle. I was so excited to do this chapter you don't even know asdfghjkl. I tried to copy the montage-y part in the movie as much as I could, so it might be a little dumb. But eh. I had fun writing it. This is how it's set up: There'll be a small scene to each lyric. The scenes are in order, as much as they can be, and this is all just essentially a big pile of little scenes. Enjoy, reviews are a gay Matt Smith in Christopher and His Kind_

_Kisses and cumshots,_

_Melanie_

* * *

_I am a question to the world, _

_Not an answer to be heard;_

_Or a moment, that's held in your arms._

It was a few days into the journey, and Starla had to admit, she was having a great time. The duties she did for Silver were a lot easier than what she was usually forced to do when on a ship, and she found herself gravitating closer and closer to Jim. It was odd, she'd never felt close to anyone, really, not after her parents were killed. She was a mystery, it seemed, even to herself. She caught herself acting more like a teenager, rather than the pirate she was raised to be. Looking back on the past week or so, she realized that she was much more brooding and thoughtful; she laughed more and was well-behaved. It was strange for her; but she liked it.

She was sitting at a table, down in the kitchen. She was helping Jim and Silver with preparations for tonight's dinner, and became lost in thought, as she so often did. Starla looked up from her own pile of potatoes -freshly peeled; you're welcome- and towards Jim, who sat across from her at the table. Evidently, he was lost in thought as well. The young woman raised an eyebrow, and nudged his foot with hers, causing him to look up at her. She gave him a questioning look, _What's wrong?_ But he just shook his head, smiling lightly. She sighed audibly, and he looked up once more. Eyebrow raised, Starla gave him one of her best 'looks.'

At least he smiled. "You can tell me," she said to him quietly, and Silver looked up from his position inside the kitchenette when he heard her voice. Jim shrugged, giving her a weak smile.

"Just… thinking about home. Missing it, actually," he coughed out a laugh. He looked away from her then, choosing instead to gaze up at the sky. Within moments, he was once again somewhere far away.

* * *

_And what do you think you'd ever say, _

_I won't listen anyway; you don't know me, _

_And I'll never be what you want me to be._

The night was filled to the brim with beauty. Starla stood by the railing on the deck of the Legacy, gazing up in wonder at the endless expanse of the sky. There were flare ups around the ship; shining purple and blue. She leaned against the mop in her hands, mesmerized by the colours. It was truly beautiful; she'd never get tired of a view like this. Sighing, she leaned the mop against the railing and stretched, holding her jacket tight against her; it was a little chilly.

Looking up, Starla could see Silver teaching Jim how to tie a proper knot, up near the crow's nest. She smiled when she saw the impatient and bored look on Jim's face, and she stretched her arm up to wave at him. Catching his attention, Starla gestured he should come down and walk with her. He grinned, and nodded that he would.

She let out a laugh as she saw Jim climbing down on the rope he had previously been practicing on; looks like his knot-tying skills were enviable. When he jumped from his rope to the deck, landing beside her, she told him as much, and he laughed with her.

Seeing the elation written plainly on his face, Starla decided she loved it when Jim laughed. He looked absolutely delightful when he did. Upon realizing that she was staring at his face with a blank look upon her own features, Starla quickly cleared her throat, running a hand back through her hair and looking down. Jim linked his arm with hers, and she grinned as they ran from Silver's perch and his shouts trailing after them.

* * *

_And what do you think you'd understand, _

_I'm a boy, no, I'm a man;_

_You can take me, and throw me away._

It was a hotter day than Starla was used to, and it was starting to get quite uncomfortable. Her breath came out in pants as she swabbed the deck with Jim, sweat dripping into her eyes. She stood up then, straightening her back and reaching a hand up to rub at her neck. She looked down at Jim, and didn't envy him whatsoever. He was ordered by Silver to scrub the deck with a hard brush, on his knees. At least she had gotten the mop.

She groaned and pulled the clip from her hair, letting the waves fall in a cascade and tickle her bare arms. She'd thrown on a simple white cotton dress today; it was sleeveless, cinched at the waist, and fell plainly to her ankles. Currently she was barefoot, as it was much too warm for her boots.

Groaning, Starla dropped the mop and sat on the deck, lying on her back with her eyes closed.

"I'm dead. It's killed me," she said aloud, trying not to smile. She could hear Jim chuckle from beside her, and she turned her head, opening her eyes to look at him. He was on his knees beside her, and, as she watched, he pretended to wobble back and forth, before he feigned a faint and fell down, angling his head onto her stomach. Rolling her eyes, she reached her hand over to run her fingers once through his hair. Realizing what she had done, she snapped her hand back quickly, and she felt a heat rise into her cheeks.

Why was she acting like such a child around him? All she and Jim ever did was laugh and play around; he didn't even know that much about her, nor she him. Yes, of course they had talked a lot, but never about anything substantially important. Why was she so… Not herself with him?

Feeling bold, she ran a hand through his hair once again as she lost herself in thought. When she was with Jim, everything was a game, and laughter. She was usually bitter, and didn't care for anyone. Why did everything suddenly shift?

Jim's eyes had fallen closed when Starla first touched her hand to his hair. It felt nice; very natural. It was at times like this when their fleeting first kiss came into his mind, and this time was no different. He wished he'd had the courage to talk to her about it, or to do it again.

Their thoughts were interrupted when they heard Silver approach.

"Jimbo! Starla! You two have a job to do. Get to it," he said, hands on his hips as he stared down at the two teenagers. Starla sighed and waited for Jim to get up off her, as she removed her hand from his hair. It took him a moment, but he did, rising to his feet and stretching his arms up. Starla stood up beside him, watching the two men and fidgeting with her star.

"How long do I have to keep at this?" Jim asked Silver, gesturing at the water bucket and brush. Silver picked the bucket up, and trust it into Jim's hands.

"Until I tell ya you're done," he said, pointing down at the deck. Jim muttered under his breath, tossing the water down the deck. Silver's mechanical eye changed from yellow to red, showing his frustration.

"Are ya goin' to complain about every little job I give ya? Tell me Jimbo - Are ya a boy, or a man?"

* * *

_And how can you learn what's never shown? _

_Yeah you stand here on your own; _

_You don't know me, 'cause I'm not here._

He wasn't feeling good this morning, Starla could tell right away. She was on kitchen duty today, preparing lunch for the crew so Silver would have time for other jobs. Hearing footsteps behind her, she wiped her hands on her apron and pushed the stray hair behind her ears, smiling in greeting. It was Jim, of course. But he was distracted; lost in thought. He walked in with a nod in Starla's general direction, looking down at the floor. She rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand, and gave him a look of concern that he didn't see.

"You alright, darlin'?" She asked him as she turned around, getting back to her food preparation. He came up beside her, diving in to the chopping of vegetables required for the recipe.

"'M alright," he said, rubbing at his neck.

Eyebrow raised, Starla stuck a hand on her hip.

"No, you're not," she said to him, and waited until he looked up at her. He stopped his chopping and looked at her, his eyes tired and weary. Definitely something wrong. She sighed and gave him a light and sad smile.

"Even if you don't want to tell me what's wrong, just remember I'm here," Starla said quietly, before turning back to the counter. Jim resumed his previous action, and they stood there in silence for a few minutes.

Finally, she heard Jim sigh lightly, and she waited patiently for him to begin.

"Had a dream about my dad last night," he said. Starla bit her lip, and still waited for him to encroach the subject. "Wasn't much, just a sort of memory. When I was a kid, my mom used to get me these… make-it-yourself toy things. And I'd gotten a set of boats. I remember picking my favourite, and putting it together for my dad. I was just a kid; it seemed like the coolest thing in the world. And when my dad got home from work, I ran up and I showed him the stupid thing; the toy I'd made and wanted him to have. And he just ruffled my hair and walked right past me. Didn't even look at me," he said in a hushed voice, not looking at her. She didn't know what to say. I'm sorry that happened? No, she couldn't think of what to say. She wasn't good at comforting people, and couldn't relate to what he'd just told her.

So she let go of the bread dough she was kneading, and wiped her hands on her apron. She turned to Jim, and did something she hadn't done before. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a warm and sturdy hug. It felt like he really needed one, and she was happy to help. He seemed shocked at first, but after a moment he relaxed, wrapping his arms across her back and squeezing tight. He rested his head in her neck; the sort of way a boy would hug a girl when he needed comforting, not when she did. Starla could feel his breath tickle her skin, and she lifted her left hand up to rest at the nape of his neck. Her eyes fell shut as she turned her face in to his neck.

She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but eventually Silver came down to check on them. They'd jumped apart at the sound of his voice, and then shared a look before getting back to their cooking. They weren't really friends, and yet they weren't anything more than friends.

At least he seemed happier the rest of the day.

* * *

_And I want a moment to be real, _

_Want to touch things I don't feel;_

_Want to hold on, and feel I belong._

It was where she went to think at night. And she definitely needed some good thinking time. She felt like such a twit… She was raised to be a pirate. She should be excited to kill Jim, not excited about getting to know him. Why was it a big deal in her eyes, getting closer to James Hawkins? She needed to stay focused on the mission; what she needed to do. She shouldn't be focusing on whether or not she and Jim were friends yet. What did it matter?

Starla's mind was quite clouded, and she needed to think. Therefore, she made her way up to the crow's nest. It was late in the evening, and most of the crew was down in the galley, telling stories and drinking. She could hear their laughter from here, and smiled to herself.

Sighing, she sat down in the suspended circular watchtower. Resting her head on her arms, she thought. She really doesn't know Jim that well, but she felt like they understood each other, in a way. They were familiar. Does being familiar with someone count as friendship? She didn't think so.

Starla groaned and lifted her head, eyes scrunched closed, and began to hit the back of her skull against the wood behind her.

"You're an idiot; focus on your job," she said to herself, still banging her head. She heard a chuckle sound from somewhere in front of her, and her eyes snapped open. Starla looked up to see Jim climbing into the crow's nest, and positioning himself to sit next to her.

"I doubt you're an idiot," he said, still smiling. "Everyone's down in the galley, aren't you coming? Silver's telling stories and… Well, he's actually kinda great," he said, looking as if he was surprised to discover he believed that. She smiled at him, bumping his shoulder with hers.

"Yeah, I'll be there eventually," Starla told him before shrugging. "Just not really into it at the moment. Thinking too much." She shrugged once more, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" She heard Jim ask, and she smiled. Oh, if only she could.

"Thanks Jim," Starla began, opening her eyes and shifting slightly to lean her head on his shoulder, "but it's nothing terribly important. Over-thinking things. I'm fine," she assured him. They were quiet then, and she could feel the soft rise and fall of his chest, hear the pounding of his heart. Starla closed her eyes once again, and just sat there with Jim under the stars.

She wasn't sure if she had dozed off or just didn't notice at first, but soon Starla realized Jim had his arm around her shoulders, his head resting atop hers. Her eyes flashed open and she could feel her mind racing. _No. Stop it. I can't be like this with him; I'm part of the mutiny._ In her mind she knew that she should have gotten up, moved away, something; but her body would not respond. She remained in that position with Jim, until one of the crew members came up for the late night watch.

She and Jim didn't say a word to each other as they left the crow's nest. They walked silently together across the deck and towards the steps that would take them below and to the crew's sleeping quarters. When they reached the entrance, she stopped Jim by reaching over to grab his forearm. He turned to look back at her, questions in his eyes. Starla looked down, running a hand through her hair, before looking up at Jim, nervousness fluttering away in her stomach.

"Listen… I just wanted to say… Thanks. For being a friend, I mean," she said with a smile, trying not to put too much emphasis on the word 'friend.' Jim raised an eyebrow and gave her a smile.

"Oh, we're friends now, are we?" He asked, smiling wider. Starla rolled her eyes, patting her hand on his chest as she walked by and towards the door. Jim's hand gripping her wrist caused her to turn around, and this time she searched his eyes, her own full of questions. His hand lingered on her skin a moment, before letting her go and using that hand to rub the back of his neck. Starla encouraged him to speak with her eyes, patiently waiting for him to begin.

Jim looked dreadfully nervous, and Starla let a small smile creep onto her face. She felt like a small child, but she didn't care. Finally, Jim took a deep breath, and spoke to the floor.

"I - Uh. Look, I'm no good at this. I wanted to say that - I'm glad you're… Alive. And here. With me. I mean - here on the Legacy. Yeah, that. Uhm… Heh," he lifted his eyes to Starla's, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. She could see the heat rising up his neck, and had to smile. A warm one this time. For the second time in as many days, she stepped up to Jim and wrapped her arms tightly around him, giving him a proper, lingering hug. Her face turned into his neck, and he didn't hesitate this time. His arms went around her at once, pulling her closer.

They stood there for a moment, until Starla began to pull away. But she didn't remove her hands from his shoulders, nor did he move his from her waist. He stared at her, searching with those bright blue eyes of his, and Starla could feel that small flutter inside her begin its dance once again.

Jim leaned in towards Starla, whispering her name, and she automatically leaned towards him, eyes falling shut. For the second time, their lips met in a small, nervous kiss. Their mouths moved together in harmony, as if they had been meant for this. Jim's hand reached up to cup the nape of Starla's neck, and her fingers tightened on his shoulder; they held each other in place.

After a few moments, Starla pulled back, breathing hard. She looked up into Jim's eyes, biting her bottom lip lightly. His face was flushed as he gazed down at her. They stood staring at each other a moment, before Starla smiled. His returning grin shone bright as a star.

Dropping her hands from Jim's shoulders, Starla stepped back. The former dropped his arm from her, watching her intently. She simply smiled once again, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight," she whispered, stepping back and giving him a small wave of her hand, before walking down the steps and towards her hammock, a ridiculous grin playing at her lips.

* * *

_And how can the world want me to change,_

_They're the ones that stay the same,_

_They don't know me, but I'm still here._

Starla woke in a daze, the sounds of movement on deck loud above her. Laughter and shouts could easily be heard, and she groaned before sitting up on her hammock, eyes bleary. She had been up quite late last night, and didn't fall asleep for a while after she'd gone to bed. Last night was… Interesting, to say the least. Enlightening, maybe that was the right word.

Jim, the kiss. She had been lying in her hammock, making sure her back was to Jim's hammock as he'd clambered down the steps, sometime after she'd come down, walking to his impromptu bed. She'd listened to him remove his shoes and jacket, and get himself comfortable. For a while, she simply lay there, listening as well as she could; listening until he was silent. She waited until she could hear the sounds of his deep and even breathing, letting her know he was now fast asleep. She'd smiled then, and only after she was sure he was comfortably asleep, did she close her eyes and let herself sleep as well.

Starla shook her head of errant thoughts, not wanting to think about that right now. She sighed and stood up, stretching out her back before reaching down to grab her boots and slip them on, not bothering to tie them properly. She reached over to grab her jacket, making sure her gun was still hidden from sight within its new home inside her pack.

Pushing her hands through the sleeves, Starla walked drowsily towards the door, reaching up to contain her hair in a messy bun. Reaching the steps, she could see it was a very bright day outside, and could tell that it was somewhere between late morning and early afternoon. Slept in, then. She groaned internally and headed towards the galley, hoping to find Silver.

Instead she found Jim. He sat in the middle of the dining area in the galley, apron on and doing a pile of dishes. She smiled at him, blushing lightly. She wasn't sure how to act around him, now that they had obviously broken the friend barrier. Starla slipped her jacket off and replaced it on the hook where her apron hung, pulling it over her head and tying it around her waist. She walked over to Jim, grabbing a bucket as she went and turning it upside down, placing it next to Jim's. He smiled as he looked up at her, and she sat on her little bucket next to his, reaching over to grab a dish towel and assist him.

"Morning. Well, afternoon technically," Jim said to her, sharing a small, secret smile with her. Starla resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and smiled back at him.

"Hello darlin'," she replied quietly as he handed her a plate.

"How are you this fine day?"

Starla smiled, looking up into his eyes. "I'm brilliant," she told him honestly, and they sat there looking at each other for a moment. Jim was leaning closer to her, and Starla smiled as her eyes fell shut.

Footsteps alerted the pair to someone coming down into the galley, so Starla quickly opened her eyes, and began to dry some cutlery as Jim pulled away, blushing yet again.

Starla looked up to see Silver walk up to them, before loudly dropping an enormous pile of dirtied dishes in front of them. She let out a small sigh and raised an eyebrow at Silver, but he only grinned.

"Get 'em done by tonight," he said simply, gesturing at the dishes before walking back up on deck. Jim stared open-mouthed at the pile, and Starla groaned.

"Great," the young woman mumbled quietly to herself. Jim looked mildly angry as he stared at Silver's retreating figure, and picked up a large pot to scrub it vigorously, challenging Silver in a way. Starla sighed and waited for Jim to hand her the next dish to dry.

* * *

_And you see the things they never see,_

_All you wanted I could be;_

_Now you know me, and I'm not afraid._

She remembered laughing with Jim as they did their chore, making it more fun than it was. She remembered finishing the dishes, and stretching afterwards. She remembered sitting in front of Jim, leaning her back against his legs, as they talked about anything they hadn't covered before. She'd even told him sleepily about her parents' deaths, and being taken in by Silver - excluding the whole pirate thing, of course. What she didn't remember, was falling asleep. One minute she was telling Jim about traveling as a child through space -with her merchant parents- and the next, she was being woken up by a light shake on the shoulder.

She was startled beyond belief when she was woken up, not noticing she'd drifted off. But when Starla awoke with a small jump, she instinctively looked towards the door, trying to estimate the time. It was dark, and much quieter than it had been during the day. She looked up to see a tired-looking Jim smile at down at her, as he stretched his arms out. A heavy coat she easily recognized seemed to be weighing Jim's shoulders down a notch, and she smiled. So Silver had come to check on them. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she stretched her back out. She had noticed Jim and Silver becoming closer friends, and was glad about that.

Starla felt Jim rise behind her, and he walked around to face her, hand held out. She smiled gratefully as he helped her stand, feeling good when her back aligned and straightened. She silently studied Jim for a moment, noticing his yawn and guessing he'd fallen asleep as well. She smiled and grabbed his hand, dragging him with her to the door.

"Sleep. Need some," Starla told him with a smile, and he chuckled in agreement, giving her hand a light squeeze as he followed her into the evening air.

* * *

_And I wanna tell you who I am,_

_Can you help me be a man,_

_They can't break me, as long as I know who I am._

Starla watched Jim and Silver carefully, throwing small glares at Silver every so often, as she sat in the empty and unused longboat, whittling at a small block of wood. They were way below deck, at the bottommost part of the ship. Silver was teaching Jim about the longboats, and presently he shouted instructions at the younger man, as they released the opposite longboat from its rigging. Sighing, Starla dropped her knife and block of wood, shooting another glare at Silver. He had specifically instructed her to stay out of this lesson. So there she was, sitting around like a useless follower. It was a tad annoying, if she was being honest.

Silver and Jim got the boat properly set up and it was floating down through the open door on the floor, Silver inside. He saluted Jim in thanks, before directing the lesser boat down, completely free of the ship.

"Finally," Starla whispered under her breath as she and Jim watched the older man disappear. She stood from the longboat and stepped onto the catwalk, making her way towards Jim.

She smiled as she nudged him in the arm, trying to catch his attention. But Jim, standing next to the large opening and staring down into nothing, looked distracted and somewhat hurt. Starla bit her lip, gently resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Jim?" She asked, her voice just a small whisper. He shook his head, closing his eyes a moment before walking past her, to the door that would eventually take him back on deck.

Starla stood there a moment, running a hand back through her loose waves. She thought back for a moment, wishing she'd paid more attention to Jim's lesson with Silver. Did Silver say something? Did she? Starla tried to think through what happened that afternoon, and nothing really came to mind. Sighing and fiddling with her annoyingly long tresses, she followed Jim's route through the ship, making her way back on deck.

* * *

_They can't tell me who to be, __'__cause I__'__m not what they see._

_Yeah the world is still sleepin__'__ while I keep on dreamin__'__ for me._

_And their words are just whispers and lies that I__'__ll never believe._

It was odd the rest of the day, after what had happened with Jim down below. Jim was quiet and reserved, not talking to anyone, not even Starla. Silver returned from his small journey and found she and Jim unusually quiet in the galley. He teased them, but the young woman just shook her head at him, shrugging her shoulders and pointing at Jim when he turned around. Silver seemed as baffled as she was, and that night at dinner she sat alone and in silence, worry clouding her thoughts.

That night, she lay in her cot, listening to the sounds of the crew members' snores and breathing, trying to get comfortable. She had her book on her lap, and was sticking a lit oil lamp on the wall just beside her, giving herself some light to read to. She made sure the light was low, as to not wake anyone up. Sighing in contentment, Starla opened the tattered novel to its dog-eared page, bringing her knees to her chest as she attempted to get lost in a different world.

Before she could even finish a single sentence, Starla heard a quiet voice.

"Starla?" She heard being called out, and she shut her book, sighing.

"Sorry about the light, I'll turn it down," she called in a whisper, reaching to the lamp. She heard footsteps make their way towards her, and she looked up when Jim came into the light. He gave her the tiniest smile, and moved to sit next to her on the hammock.

She crossed her legs, looking at him curiously as she set her book down on the floor. Jim raised a hand to fiddle with his hair, not looking at Starla.

"I'm sorry I acted like a brat today," he began in a quiet voice, and she waited for him to continue. Jim chuckled without much humor. "It's stupid, really. I just… Well - Silver's been really helpful to me, and I guess I started seeing him as… Well an uncle," he looked at her then, flashing a small smile before continuing. "It sounds stupid, I know. But… Well, when he left today, on the longboat, I just got this weird feeling… And I remembered the day my dad left. It reminded me of it, in a way," Jim finished. He had his hands in his lap, and fiddled with his fingernails, refusing to look at Starla.

She looked at him silently for a moment, studying his features in the dimming light, before reaching over to lay her hand on his shoulder. It was a gesture she did often, something they were used to. He reached his hand up to lay over hers, and they sat silently in a position that was normal to them now.

"I'm sorry Jim," Starla whispered to him, still watching his face. "Truly, I am. And it doesn't sound stupid," she assured him, rubbing his fingers with her thumb. He looked up at her, his eyes bright in the darkness. Starla smiled at him, and he smiled back, just for a moment, before looking back down at the wooden floor.

"I was ten," Jim began in a small voice, still staring into the floor, "- like you were. Just a kid. I remember waking up one morning, hearing my parents shout at each other. They shouted a lot. Mom yelled something like 'Please don't go!' and I heard the front door slam. I jumped out of bed, looking out my window. And there was dad, bag packed and headed towards a ship on the docks. I remembering running as fast as I could down the stairs, and I could see my mom, crying at a table," his voice had grown very quiet now, and Starla watched him, her heart breaking.

Jim took a breath before continuing. "So I ran out of the Benbow, just standing outside and watching as my dad got to the dock. I froze, completely in denial for a second about what was happening. And so I ran. I ran as fast as I could, to the docks. I didn't know what I would say, but I didn't care. I just wanted my dad to stay," Jim took another breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them. He gave a harsh laugh, "I fell a couple times, running down the path. It's how I got these," he said, reaching up with his free hand to point at the small scars under his eyes. "But I got up and I ran, thinking about nothing but begging him to come back. I reached the dock, but it didn't matter. The ship was already leaving, him on it. He didn't look back when I yelled his name, nor when I begged. That's the last I ever saw of him," Jim finished, voice impossibly quiet.

Starla had her free hand over her mouth, shock and hurt written across her face.

"Oh, my Gods," she whispered. What do you say to that? Starla dropped her hand from her face, letting out a shaky breath. Leaning forward, she rested her head on Jim's shoulder, her arms winding around him to give him a light hug.

"I don't think 'sorry' really covers it," she said with a humorless chuckle. She felt terrible for him; even though she'd lost her parents, they didn't leave her by choice. His did.

Jim stood up from Starla's hammock, his back to her as she looked up with questions in her eyes. He reached up to wipe at his face, and she looked down, not wanting to intrude on his moment. Starla looked up when he turned around, and his eyes boring into hers as he grabbed both of her hands gently in his, pulling her to her feet. She stood, not taking her eyes from his. Gently, he leaned his head forward to rest on her shoulder, his face turned into her neck. She almost smiled as she reached a hand up to rub the back of his neck, the other resting lightly on his shoulder. She had whispered to him, but she couldn't remember what. Just simple cliché things, like "It's all right." His arms snaked around her back, holding her so tight, but she never once complained. He needed someone with him, and she was glad he chose her.

They stood together for some time there, eyes closed as she listened to him breathe. It was a very peaceful moment, and despite how upsetting the tale he'd told her was, she was glad that he felt comfortable enough to tell her.

After a while, Jim pulled back from Starla, looking down into her eyes. His were bright and clear, looking into her own dark ones. She gave him the lightest of smiles, letting her right hand cup his cheek. He smiled back at her, whispering "Thank you," and reaching up to place his own hand over hers.

Jim leaned down slightly, placing a small kiss at the corner of her mouth. He then pulled away, dropping his hand and turning away, leaving her to stand alone, watching his retreating figure with wide eyes. After a moment, she sighed, leaning down to blow out the oil lamp before lying back down in her hammock.

"Idgit. Letting yourself get in too deep with this boy," Starla mumbled to herself before letting exhaustion envelope her.

* * *

_And I want a moment to be real,_

_Wanna touch things I don__'__t feel,_

_Wanna hold on, and feel I belong._

The next day had a different feel to it. After Jim telling Starla what had happened with his father, and the moment they had shared; she knew things would change once again between them. They weren't just playful teenagers, flirting without regret. He had shared something quite personal with her, and she actually cared. That morning as they did their duties together -preparing food, sweeping the galley- she'd catch him looking at her sometimes, just studying her. Then they'd share a secretive smile and get back to whatever they were doing. She'd catch herself staring at him as well, lost in thought. He'd tease her about that, but Starla would just laugh and they'd share another smile.

Things were good; and Starla was truly happy for a change. She felt like a teenager instead of a pirate, and loved the feeling. If she was honest with herself, she preferred it this way.

Second thoughts about the mutiny clouded her mind all day, and sometimes she sat in silence, just thinking through what she should do. She couldn't be part of the mutiny anymore, she just couldn't. She couldn't do that to Jim, after what they'd been through.

Jim interrupted her reverie, as she sat in the bright light of day on the ship's railing. She smiled at him, jumping down to stand beside him.

"Silver's taking me for a ride in the longboat. Teach me how it works," he said, a wide grin brightening up his features. She smiled for him, his excitement washing off on her.

"Come on," he said, grabbing Starla's hand and pulling her after him. He led her through the inner pathways of the Legacy, finally coming out at the bottom of the ship. She saw Silver, readily sitting in the longboat and waiting for Jim. The latter turned around to give her a goodbye smile and squeeze of the hand before jumping into the boat.

Starla waved goodbye to the two of them as the boat floated down below the ship, finally blasting off with Jim at the helm. She grinned to herself, and walked back towards the door. Her joyful expression soon fled, though, and she felt herself frown, brows knitting together as she thought.

Starla couldn't keep on like this, and she knew it full well. She couldn't continue to be this close with Jim, when sometime in the near future she would be betraying him. Her heart contracted at the mere thought, and she closed her eyes, leaning against a wall and rubbing her eyes in frustration. What could she do, to make things right?

* * *

_And how can they say I never change,_

_They__'__re the ones that stay the same,_

_I__'__m the one now, __'__cause I__'__m still here._

Sometime later, Starla heard the distinct sound of small engines, and ran over to the edge of the deck to look down. Sure enough, a longboat containing Silver and Jim was returning to the Legacy. She smiled, dropping the mop and running towards the door that would lead her to the docking bay far below. She jumped down the steps and ran towards the bay. Starla could hear the sounds of laughter coming through the open doorway, and she stepped through, grinning at the two men.

Jim looked up at her as she walked over, and she gave them both a small wave in greeting.

"How was it?" She asked, jumping into the longboat after they'd secured it. Silver laughed and elbowed Jim in the side.

"This one can maneuver a skiff better than I can," he chuckled. Jim sat with his arms crossed behind his head, smiling at Silver. Starla sat herself beside Jim, smiling up at him. Silver looked tired, and he rubbed his forehead with a handkerchief as Morph floated about. Jim looked at Silver, seeming to continue a conversation the woman had seemingly interrupted.

"But I'm gonna change all that," Jim said, leaning forward slightly. Silver was busy petting Morph, but looked up after a moment.

"Are ya now? How so?" He asked, smiling lightly. Jim gave him a small grin, leaning back against the side of the boat.

"I got some plans. Gonna make people see me a little different," Jim finished, crossing his arms behind his head again, eyes contentedly closed. Starla raised an eyebrow, but stayed silent. Silver's smile disappeared, and he looked at the young woman as he spoke.

"Sometimes, plans go astray."

The cyborg shared a look with Starla; and she broke it first, choosing instead to fiddle with the ends of her hair. Jim, eyes still closed, was oblivious to their shared look.

"Not this time," he said, a light smile still lingering.

Silver looked at Starla a moment longer, before lifting his mechanical leg up on one of the benches, needing to loosen one of the bolts. She ran a hand back through her dark waves, and watched Jim as he leaned forward, watching Silver's actions with curiosity. Morph saw Silver's struggles, and turned himself into a wrench.

"Ah, thank you Morphy," Silver said to his pet, using the shape shifter to loosen the bolt. Jim looked thoughtfully at Silver a moment, rubbing his chin.

"So," Jim began, "Ah, how'd that happen, anyway?" He asked, gesturing to Silver's mechanical bits. Silver raised his metal arm, looking at it sadly a moment. Starla's eyes wandered to it as well, remembering the story Silver had once told her, of how he lost his right arm and leg, and bits of his head. She shuddered, looking instead at Jim's patient expression.

"Ya give up a few things, chasin' a dream," Silver said simply, still studying his interchangeable arm.

"Was it worth it?" Jim asked quietly. Starla looked at Silver, knowing full well the only reason he lost some parts was because of his hunt for Treasure Planet. Silver caught her look, and just laughed. He sighed, before moving to the other side of the small boat, sitting on the side of Jim that wasn't occupied. He placed his arm behind Jim's shoulders, shooting the two teenagers a smile.

"I'm hopin' it is, Jimbo," he said, before looking at Starla. "I most surely am."

The three of them sat there quietly a moment, all lost in thought. Starla kept thinking about Treasure Planet, about the mutiny. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, thinking fast.

After everything that had gone on between her and Jim –the playfulness, their opening up to each other, the gentle touches shared- she knew that her heart had made a decision.

She couldn't do it. Gods help her, she won't be able to go through with it. As she sat there in silence, her mind focused on the boy next to her, she finally came to a decision. She knew what she had to do.


	9. Chapter 9 - A Star Gone Supernova

_Chapter 9_

_A Star Gone Supernova_

_Author's Note (AKA: Melanie rants): So I was supposed to see Hollywood Undead in concert tonight. Well. _

_It took me an hour to get downtown, and another hour waiting in line. It was a 19+ concert, and I'm 17. My plan was to wear my low-cut shirt and bribe the bouncer with $50. Good plan, right? Not right. Very not right._

_When I got to the front, the bouncer was really nice to me, politely saying how he couldnt let me in because I dont have ID. _

_No big deal. They've only been my favourite band for three years. This is only the first time they've been anywhere near my city. I was only crying the entire way home._

_I feel ridiculous for crying but FUCK. I was sad. Then more sad. Now I'm angry AND sad._

* * *

For a moment everything was peaceful. Starla sat with Jim and Silver in the longboat, all three lost in thought and enveloped in a comfortable silence.

And then everything turned to hell. Something, Starla didn't know what, must have hit the ship. Hard. A wave of some sort. But suddenly the three were thrown forward, and the woman barely had time to catch herself before falling right out of the longboat. The ship groaned around them as Morph let out a small scream, falling into a pillar and being thrust into dozens of pieces, before coming back together and looking terrified. He flew over to Silver, hiding under the collar of his jacket.

The ship groaned once more, righting itself to its normal position. Silver jumped out of the boat, Jim right behind him. He turned back a moment later, reaching up to grab Starla by the hand, pulling her down. She landed next to him with an "Oof!" Not expecting he would have done such a thing, she blew the hair from her face as Jim grabbed her once again, running to catch up with Silver and dragging her behind him.

They reached the deck of the ship, just behind Silver.

"What the devil…" Starla heard him say. There was wind blowing at them, and her hair whipped into her face. There was a bright light, unnatural for this time of day, coming from the left of the ship. Starla looked to the source of the light, her eyes widening. There was a star, exploding, uncomfortably close to the ship.

Her breath caught in her throat as she heard Delbert shout, "The star Pelusa - Its gone supernova!"

Starla's hand rose to her mouth, covering the look of shock. Jim dropped her other hand as he tore his hands back through his hair, panic wild in his eyes. Starla's now-free hand reached up to her star, taking comfort in its small weight.

She shook the sense back into her mind as she heard Amelia shouting.

"Evasive action, Mister Turnbuckle!" And the ship suddenly lurched away from the oncoming heat, racing it out of there.

"All hands fasten your life lines!" Arrow shouted, and suddenly the crew was all rushing to the mast. Starla ran, grabbing Jim's hand as she went, with Silver following behind them. She reached for a long bit of rope, used for this kind of situation. Securing it to her waist, Starla tied it as tightly as she could, to one of the spikes lining the mast. She stood, momentarily frozen as she watched the wave coming ever closer to the Legacy. Her breath caught in her throat as she instinctively threw a hand up to cover her face.

The wave was upon them.

It crashed through the rear of the ship, and Starla slipped and fell to her knees. She felt Jim kneeling beside her, his hands sitting lightly at her arms, checking to see if she was alright. Waving off his concern, Starla stood, hearing a strange noise from above them. Jim was on his feet, staring wondrously skyward.

Her mind working fast, Starla figured out what the sound was. Fabric ripping. She looked up quickly to see the sails being ripped through by small asteroids. Amelia had obviously noticed, and she heard her shout to Arrow.

"Mister Arrow! Secure those sails!" Followed by Arrow instructing the crew, "Secure all sails!"

Nodding to no one in particular, Starla quickly undid the knot holding her to the mast. It wouldn't reach far enough. She ran to the shrouds, climbing up behind other crew members.

"Reef them down, men!" She heard Arrow distantly shout. She didn't pay much attention as she reached up to grab a loose-flying rope, pulling it hard to help pull the sails together. Out of nowhere, something -or someone- smashed into her arm, and she instinctively let go to cradle her injured wrist. It was the worst possible mistake she could make. She was falling through air. Panic seized her muscles for a split second, before she instinctively reached out to grab hold of something. Anything. The shrouds flew past her, and she started to try and grab for the ropes, but her injured hand kept slipping, screaming in protest. She held her breath as she reached up, her last chance, to grab the top of the railing. Nails scraping against the wood, digging into the paint, her hand gained leverage. She caught it.

In near tears from relief, Starla drew in a ragged breath, feeling her arms begin to shake. She took in another deep breath before heaving herself up and over, crashing into a sitting position on the deck. She cradled her left wrist to her chest, clenching her teeth at the pain. But she quickly stood; there was work to be done and she would have to worry about that later. There were sudden shouts from other crew members, running from the side of the deck she was on, to the other. Starla spun around, confused, and then she saw it. One of the largest asteroids she'd ever seen, coming closer and closer to their ship. She cussed under her breath, backing away from the railing and closer to the middle of the deck, not tearing her eyes away for a second.

As soon as it came, it began to move away. Starla let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, watching the asteroid warily as it spun back towards… the star. She gasped, understanding what must have happened. She heard Onus' shouts from above her, high in the crow's nest.

"Captain… The star!" He voiced her thoughts, as the ship was pulled suddenly towards Pelusa. Starla's eyes were wide and her heart was fast, and she heard Delbert from a distance shout something about a black hole. _So I was right… Why did I have to be right?_

The Legacy roamed ever closer to the center of the exploding star, and Starla could see the black hole, almost beckoning them to come closer. The ship lurched towards it, before it was suddenly turned around. Starla looked up to see Amelia at the wheel, straining to keep them from being pulled in. She shook her head and mentally chastised herself for just standing there. She ran back to the mast, re-tying the rope to her waist. She struggled a bit, her injured wrist throbbing with her every pulse.

She saw Jim and Silver, standing near the railing of the ship, and ran to them. Starla grabbed Jim's arm, forcing him to look at her.

"You two alright?" She asked him, her voice thick with worry. She was forced to shout over the noise of the ships' engines straining, combined with the star exploding. Jim nodded and looked at the young woman with wide eyes, looking her up and down, checking to see that she was alright. He noticed she held her wrist at an odd angle, but she just shook her head at the questions in his eyes.

There was a great rush of air, throwing Starla to the ground and on top of Jim. The star had waves emulating from the black hole at its center. She shot Jim a worried look before standing up, pulling Jim with her. Her hair blew into her eyes, impairing her vision. She pushed the strands out of the way as she heard Arrow shout "Unfurl those sails!"

Starla shot him a sharp look, and the crew members near her only voiced her thoughts. They just finished tying them down! What did Amelia have planned?

Starla let out a harsh breath, making a fist with her left hand and cringing when the small action caused a hot bubble of pain to shoot through her arm. She gritted her teeth, cussing at herself for being so damned weak and getting herself banged up at such an inconvenient time. She was just about to follow Jim up the shrouds, when Amelia's voice sounded from behind them.

"Mister Hawkins!" She heard the captain shout, addressing Jim. "Make sure all lifelines are secured, good and tight!"

Starla jumped down to the deck so Jim could get past her, hearing him shout a "Aye-aye, Captain!" to Amelia as he ran. Starla ran down the deck, to stand just down and in front of Amelia from when she stood in front of the wheel.

"Captain!" She shouted to her. Amelia looked down at her, and she continued. "Are we - We're not riding one of the waves, are we Captain?" Starla shouted. They'd never make it out in time. She looked over her shoulder at the black hole, but Amelia only smiled.

"We'll make it, Miss Montgomery," she shouted simply. Starla bit her lip.

"Aye, Captain."

She ran over to Jim's position by the mast, looking up and watching the crew unfurl the sails. Jim had finished pulling his own lifeline as tight as he could, and he turned around to shout at Amelia. "Lifelines secured, Captain!"

Amelia smiled and shouted back "Very good!" before focusing on maneuvering the ship. Starla drew in a ragged breath as she stumbled over to Jim, losing her balance from the waves. Jim reached for her as she reached for him, and they held each other close, looking into each others' eyes.

"If you get yourself killed, I'll never forgive you!" Starla yelled, flashing him a grin to hide the nervousness. Jim only smiled.

And once again, they were falling. This time, Jim fell on top of Starla. She let out a soft sound of aggravation as he accidentally hit her wrist, causing a wave of pain to run through it. He lifted himself up, his hands steadying himself from where they sat on either side of her head. They looked at each other a moment, collecting themselves. He stood up quickly, reaching a hand down to help her up. She offered up her good hand, and he pulled her up quickly. She ignored the throbbing of her wrist, looking around.

She saw Amelia was no longer at wheel; she'd most likely fallen as the two teenagers had when the heavy wave hit.

For a moment, Starla had thought she'd heard a shout coming from the side of the ship, but when she looked, no one was there. She shook her head, thinking she must have heard wrong. But what she did see was the black hole. They were dangerously close, and Starla could feel her heart pounding away in her chest. She looked up at Jim, feeling the fear cloud her features. He gave her a comforting look as Silver came up beside them. She could see the rest of the crew making their way down, scuttling about and trying to find something to hold on to.

She heard Delbert's voice, and looked up to see Amelia back at the wheel. "Captain, the last wave! Here it comes!"

Starla held her breath a moment, feeling a drop of sweat fall down the side of her temple.

"Hold on to your lifelines, gents! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!" Amelia shouted. Starla swallowed the lump in her throat, giving Jim a quick look. She looked up to see the light around them disappearing; they were headed straight into the black hole.

Starla looked sharply at Jim, about to tell him to hold on tight; we'd get through this. Before she had time to take a breath, Jim pushed her back against the mast, her spine digging painfully against the rough wood. She gave Jim a look of shock, but he just stood right against her, shielding her from view. He rested his forehead against hers and they stared at each other a moment; just looking into the others' eyes.

Ignoring the pain in her wrist, Starla wrapped her arms around Jim's back, holding him tightly to her and refusing to let go. She pressed a quick kiss to his jaw before burying her face in his chest, eyes shut tight. He braced himself, one hand stationed just above Starla's shoulders, the other holding onto her waist. She could feel his warm breath at the top of her head, could feel the fast thrumming of his heart.

Suddenly there was more pressure on her, and she adjusted her head to look over Jim's shoulder. Silver was there, protecting the both of them. She gave Silver a thankful look, before shutting her eyes once more, praying to whatever Gods were out there that they'd get through this.

It was probably the most terrifying moment of her life. Everything was completely silent; all she could hear was Jim's heart racing and her own panting breaths. As soon as she had started to panic, there was an explosion. She felt Jim tense against her, and Starla dug her nails into his back; she was properly frightened.

And then, like a miracle, the ships engines caught to life, and she could feel the sharp whoosh of the macula, throwing the ship forward and towards freedom. She could hear sounds of people falling, but they were at the right end of the mast, and instead Starla was pushed harder against it, the wood painfully digging into her back. She ignored the pain in her back and wrist, and focused, instead, on Jim's heartbeat. Because as long as she could hear it, that meant he was alive. So she tuned everything out, only listening to the unwavering thrum of his heart.

Suddenly everything was speed, and they were heading faster and faster in the opposite direction of the black hole. The ship began to slow, and Starla heard the shouts of joy coming from all around her. Opening her eyes, she felt most of the pressure leave her, and guessed that Silver had moved away. She let out a deep and shaky breath, feeling Jim move slightly off her. His hand left its position above her shoulder, resting itself instead upon her waist. She opened her eyes to look up into Jim's, seeing the blue ones shine brightly, wide with excitement or fear; or maybe both. The pair looked at each other, staring and silent. And then she couldn't help it. A wide grin passed along her features, and she couldn't stop the laugh from escaping her lips. Jim looked for a moment as if the woman in front of him had lost her mind -which she quite possibly did- before laughing with her. He stepped back, pulling Starla with him and into a hard hug. His arms snaked around her waist, lifting her up momentarily. She giggled like a young girl, her hands resting on his shoulders as he set her down.

Starla smiled up at him, just happy to be alive. She hugged him tight to her once more, and pulled back to see him looking at her, a soft expression having taken over his features. She looked up, questions in her eyes. Questions that were soon forgotten, as Jim leaned forward in the same way he did the other night; it seemed to be so long ago.

For a moment, she didn't care that the crew surrounded them. She didn't care about the mutiny. All she cared about was Jim, and she was willing to let it show. She let her eyes fall shut as her head tipped upwards, and Starla felt Jim's warm breath wash across her skin.

Starla nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a distinct cough sound from beside her. Eyes snapping open, she pulled back slightly to see Silver, eyebrow raised and giving her a look that could kill. She dropped her arms and stepped back from Jim, pretending to busy herself with a suddenly fascinating piece of rope. She heard Amelia's voice from behind her as she walked back to the mast, untying the lifeline at her waist. Looking over, she saw there was one missing. Strange. She shook her head.

"Well, I must congratulate you, Mister Silver. It seems your cabin boy did a bang-up job with those life lines." Starla smiled to herself as Amelia's voice carried to her ears. Starla turned, and saw Silver and Jim playfully bump each other. It seems the situation Silver found she and Jim in was forgotten for the moment, and Starla was thankful for that.

Starla thought she saw Amelia give the pair a smile before clasping her hands behind her back, facing the deck. "All hands accounted for, Mister Arrow?" She asked loudly, waiting a moment for him to respond.

But there was no response.

Starla's eyebrows knit together as she walked forward -now free of her rope- to look around. The rest of the crew looked amongst themselves as well, wondering where Arrow had gotten to.

"Mister Arrow?" Amelia shouted again, worry in her voice. Behind her, Starla heard the hiss of Scroop, and saw the crew clearing a path for the alien to get through. The young woman noticed a hat in his hands - a familiar one that made her gasp.

"I'm afraid," Scroop began, lifting the hat up to Amelia, sadness colouring his voice, "Mister Arrow has been lost," he finished, looking down. Amelia took the hat, staring at it with her mouth open, shock rushing across her features. Meanwhile, Scroop continued.

"His lifeline was not secured," and at that, he shot a pointed look at Jim. The rest of the crew looked surprised, turning towards Jim as well. Amelia looked over, looking upset but trying not to show it. Starla's hand went to her throat in shock.

"No, I checked them all!" Jim defended himself. He ran over to the mast, shoving other crew members as he past. He looked with wide eyes at the missing rope, the same Starla had noticed a moment before. Her heart pounded as her mind began to race. No, Jim secured all of them - she saw him. He wouldn't have made a mistake. Starla tuned back in to hear Jim shouting up at Amelia.

"I - I did. I checked them all. They were secure. I swear!"

Amelia gave Jim a sharp look of disapproval, and Starla saw Jim's shoulders hunch as he looked down in shame. She looked up at Silver, who looked as distraught as his adoptive daughter felt. She saw him turn his head to look at Scroop, and she caught the smile on the damned alien's face. Her gaze hardened as she realized what must have happened. She bit her tongue -quite literally- and curled her hands into a fist, using the pain in her left to focus her mind. She looked to Amelia as she began to speak, grasping Arrow's hat.

"Mister Arrow was a…" she had to stop for a moment, clearing her throat. Starla clenched her fist tighter. "Ahem. A fine spacer… finer than most of us could ever hope to be." The look of hurt on Amelia's face tore at Starla, but she forced herself to keep looking on, instead of dropping her head in shame. "But he knew the risks, as do we all. Resume your posts… we carry on," Amelia finished, turning around to head to her stateroom. Starla let out a shaky breath, and turned to Jim. She wanted to say something, anything.

But he was already gone.


	10. Chapter 10 - Getting In Too Deep

_Chapter 10_

_Getting In Too Deep_

A cold air had come over the Legacy that evening, and Starla grasped her jacket, holding it ever tighter to her chilled skin, as she walked slowly around the deck. She hadn't seen Jim much after what happened with the star and Arrow, and when she did manage to find him, he refused to speak to her. She was a tad hurt, but understood. She wanted to grab hold of him, shaking and hugging him until he could see that no, he wasn't responsible for what happened to Arrow. But not wanting to crowd him, she let him alone.

So there she was, gazing up at the millions on millions of stars surrounding their vessel, alone and deep in thought. Her left wrist was tied with a cloth bandage, and she was told not to use it much. She sighed as she looked at her bandaged wrist, leaning against the mast of the Legacy. Her good hand made its familiar path to the chain around her neck, where she twisted it round her finger, fiddling with the charm. Eyes shut; she tried to block everything out except her own thoughts.

She was still playing her part for Silver and the rest of the crew; friendly with Jim but acting like her old self at the meetings late at night. Except it wasn't like that at all. She remained in the background, not saying a single word at the crew's meetings. And Jim… Friends didn't apply to them whatsoever, did it? She could feel herself falling deeper, and hated herself for it. She reminded herself that she barely knew him, but there was always a small voice in the back of her mind, reminding her that all they did was talk. All the hours they were stuck together each day, doing chores and whathaveyou for Silver. He had opened up to her about his deepest thoughts, dreams, and pains. She had told him most everything about her. Starla had talked to him of things she hadn't even told Silver of.

On the one hand, she wanted to tell Jim the whole truth, not leaving anything out. What her parents were; what she was. Silver's plan, all of it. Starla wanted him to know everything. But on the other hand, Silver had taken her in when anyone else who had happened upon her would have shooed her away, or even killed her. She was indebted to him, and needed to do her job within the mutiny.

But her heart wasn't in it, not at all. She couldn't do it anymore; she needed to stop the mutiny. Starla planned to talk to Silver about it, after tomorrow's meeting. There was one planned early in the morning; Silver was angry with Scroop about Arrow. She hoped beyond all hope that she was right in thinking Silver would understand; she knew that she wasn't the only one that had grown close to Jim. He had as well. She didn't how she would stop the mutiny, but she had to try.

The pungent smell of smoke pulled her from her thoughts, and Starla opened her eyes and looked ahead, to see Silver climbing out of the galley, smoking his pipe.

"That thing will kill you," Starla said, shooting him a half-smile. Silver chuckled and shook his head at her. He looked suddenly over to his right; she turned as well, and looked up to see Jim sitting in the shrouds, fiddling with a short piece of rope in his hands. Starla gave Silver a look, and walked over to him.

"Jim?" She called up quietly, leaning against the railing. He looked down at her, nodding in her direction.

"Hey," he said, then went back to staring at the stars in front of him. Starla bit the inside of her lip, trying to think of something to say.

"It wasn't your fault," Starla called to him gently. He sighed, a frustrated expression clear on his face. She continued on. "Half the crew would be spinning in that black abyss, if not for -" She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she spoke, her voice getting quieter when he threw the piece of rope into the aforementioned black abyss.

Starla stopped mid-sentence when he jumped down, cutting her off.

"Look, don't you get it?!" Jim said loudly, jumping down from the railing and walking up to her. Starla raised an eyebrow, biting her tongue -again, quite literally- and waiting for him to get it all out. "I screwed up! I mean, for two seconds, I thought I could do something right, but - Aagh! I just…" He gripped his hair in frustration, walking away from Starla. She followed slowly, wanting to get through to him. Silver stood back, watching them, and Jim stepped up to the mast, leaning against it. Silver looked down at Jim, and Starla heard the latter sigh.

"Sorry. Just… forget it. Forget it," the pair heard Jim say, most likely to the woman. She moved closer to him, watching him as she stuck her hands in her pockets, before giving Silver a pleading look.

He reached a hand out, gripping Jim by the shoulder and pulling him to turn and face him. Starla watched from just behind him; her eyes peeking over the cyborg's shoulder.

"Now, you listen to me, James Hawkins," Silver said when Jim finally looked up at him. Starla's eyes softened when she saw his were wet with tears. "You got the makings of greatness in ya, but ya gotta take the helm and chart your own course," Silver began, and she couldn't help but give a small smile. Silver really did care for this boy, as she did. Starla could see Jim breathing heavily, trying to hide his own sadness. "Stick to it, no matter the squalls," Silver went on, gesturing to Jim with his pipe. "And when the time comes and ya get the chance to really test the cut of your sails, and show what you're made of, well… I hope I'm there, catchin' some of the light comin' off ya that day," Silver finished, closing his eyes and opening his arms wide, a light smile on his face.

Jim's breath came in light pants, and Starla reached her good arm out to place a hand on his shoulder, rubbing light circles on his left shoulder blade. Silver smiled down at Jim, and the latter lurched forward, bending his head down and leaning it against Silver's belly. Starla smiled at Jim's back then, before smiling full-on at the look on Silver's face. She didn't think she'd ever seen him more confused.

Starla heard Jim sniffle softly, saw a small smile on Silver's face. "There, there, lad. It's all right, Jimbo," Starla heard him say. Silver froze a moment, before closing his eyes and giving Jim a quick hug. "It's all right," he said once more, before pulling away from Jim, clearing his throat. "Now, Jim, I - Uhm. I best be getting about my watch," Silver said with a smile, gesturing to the rest of the ship. "And you two best be getting some shuteye," he finished, pushing Jim towards the young woman.

Jim stumbled lightly before righting himself. He looked down at Starla, and she reached out with her good hand to grab his hand, smiling. Jim looked over his shoulder at Silver, giving him a smile. Silver waved goodbye, and Jim turned back to Starla, still smiling. She squeezed his hand, pulling him with her towards the door to the crew's quarters.

She walked backwards, watching Jim as he let her drag him towards the stairs. She dropped his hand right as they reached the entrance, and pulled him into a hug. He held her close as she kissed his cheek, and she was reminded of their last goodbye outside this door.

"Sorry. For snapping at you," Jim whispered in Starla's ear, distracting her from her thoughts. She smiled wistfully, before answering.

"It's alright, darlin'. I understand."

They stood there for another while, just breathing and holding each other. It seemed saying goodnight would always be a dragged-out experience. Not that she's complaining. Starla smiled to herself as that thought crossed her mind, and she pulled back from Jim, grabbing onto his hand once again. He smiled at her, and this time he led the way down the steps.

He walked with Starla to her hammock, and hugged her once more, whispering "Goodnight, Starla," in her ear. He pulled back and she smiled up at him, whispering "Goodnight, Jim," back.

The expression on his face confused her for a moment. He looked tired, like he was in a dream-state, and calculating. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he simply leaned forward, planting a quick kiss on Starla's mouth. He turned around immediately after, walking over to his cot. She stood there, frozen for a moment. After a moment, she shook her head, shrugging her jacket off and balling it up into a pillow as she laid down into her cot. She fell asleep with a kiss on her mind.


	11. Chapter 11 - Jim Hears The Truth

_Chapter 11_

_Jim Hears The Truth_

Starla woke up early the next morning, needing to be ready for the crew's meeting. She was half-asleep as she rose from her hammock, reaching over to shake out her jacket and slip it on. Yawning, she pulled on her boots as she sat at the edge of her insignificant bed, eyes half closed before she realized she could hear someone was awake. She looked up to see Jim, sitting on the ground and reaching for his boot as it moved away.

"Morph?" Starla heard Jim say as he rubbed his face. She smiled as Jim got up, tucking in his shirt and falling over in front of the pile of packs. "Morph, knock it off, it's too early for this," Jim mumbled as Morph -in the shape of Jim's boot- slipped around a trunk and hopped passed Jim. Suddenly Morph jumped upwards, kicking Jim in the bum.

"Ow! Hey - Morph!" He called, turning around as Morph stuck out a tongue and laughed, turning himself back into his normal form and laughing. Morph picked up Jim's real boot from where it was hidden behind a trunk. Jim jumped up, smiling, as he chased Morph around the room. "Hey, come back here!" Morph promptly mimicked him, before flying out of the room and up on deck, Jim running right behind him.

Starla rolled her eyes and stretched, making a light fist with her left hand and turning the joint around. It was still sore, but better. She could almost use it properly, at least. Walking to the door of the sleeping quarters, she climbed the stairs and made her way up into the light of early morning, the fresh air waking her up. She sighed happily and pulled her hair into a ponytail, before walking to the entrance of the galley. She paused there, and looked about the deck, wondering where Jim had gotten himself to. Hearing voices coming from below her, she shook her head and made her way down the steps.

Walking into the galley, Starla saw some of the crew were already there, including Silver. After the meeting was over, she intended to talk to Silver about ending the mutiny. She knew he cared for Jim too; he might just go for it. She'd stayed awake the past few nights, thinking about what she could say. She finally decided on going with the truth; she cares for Jim and doesn't want to do this anymore. She'll hold her tongue and won't tell Jim or anyone about the mutiny if Silver stops it. And if he gets too angry with her, well … She'll tell the captain and everyone would be captured and tried for piracy. If he tried to kill her -which she wouldn't put past him- she'll do the same.

Starla took a breath, walking up to a table, sitting herself down and listening in. A couple of the crew were saying that they were sick of waiting, wanting to move in. Silver was aggravated, the young woman could tell by the red shade of his mechanical eye and the expression on his face.

"We don't move 'till we got the treasure in hand!" He said, making gestures with his mechanical arm. Scroop walked up from his spot in the corner.

"I say we kill 'em all now," he hissed, clicking his claw angrily. Wrong move. Silver reached up, grasping Scroop's jaw in his fist and pulling him down.

"I say what's to say!" He yelled, shaking Scroop. He let go of his jaw and instead held his throat, holding him up above the ground. "Disobey my orders again, like that stunt you pulled with Mister Arrow, and so help me, you'll be joinin' him!" Silver shouted, making most of the crew, including Starla, jump and throwing Scroop at the barrel of purps.

Scroop breathed heavily, angrily, as he pulled himself into a standing position. "Strong talk, but I know otherwise," he began, reaching behind him to grab a purp from within the barrel.

She shot a look at Silver's back, trying not to display any emotion, in case someone happened to be watching.

"Ya got something' to say, Scroop?" Silver asked, crossing his arms across his chest. Scroop pulled up a purp from the barrel, gesturing with it and smiling at Silver and Starla.

"It's that boy," he whispered, still smiling. Starla saw Silver's shoulders droop, and could feel her own heart rate begin to rise. Meanwhile, Scroop went on. "The girl," he gestured at the woman in question, still with the purp, "I know has a little heart in her. But you… Methinks you have a soft spot for him," Scroop added, looking back at Silver and stabbing a hole into the purp with his claw, emphasizing his words.

Starla's heart rate quickened even more and she stood, glaring at every pirate who dared look at her. She heard them all muttering their agreement with Scroop, and Starla looked to Silver, in hopes he had something clever to say and cover for them. Thank the Gods she was right.

"Now, mark me, the lot 'a ya!" He said sharply, making sure the crew were paying attention. "I care about one thing and one thing only. Flint's trove!" Silver said, making a fist and looking at all the pirates in turn, landing lastly on Starla. She stood, back to the wall beside the door, unsure of what to do. Silver gestured at her. "And do ya think I'd have kept this one around if she was nothin' but trouble?" He asked, and many of them looked at Starla before dropping their eyes, muttering that he was right. She let out a breath of relief, still watching Silver. He rubbed his neck, before gathering himself and looking angry. "That boy… Ya think I'd risk it all for the sake of some nose-wiping little whelp?" But Scroop only grinned, walking towards Silver.

"Oh, what was it now ? 'Oh, ya got the makings of greatness is ya,'" Scroop said, mimicking Silver and ending with a smile in Starla's direction, chuckling at her. Silver turned to him, anger written on his face.

"Shut your yap! I cozied up to that kid to keep him off our scent," Silver said with a flick of his hand, before pointing at Starla. "She was followin' orders. I aint gone soft," he said, pointing a finger angrily at Scroop. Starla stared him down along with Silver, rage emanating off of her.

Just then, a call of "Planet ho!" could be heard from above, and everyone in the room gasped with excitement, moving towards the door. Starla felt the grin grow on her face, and couldn't help but laugh along with them. She waited for the rest to pass ahead of them, intending to go last and not get caught in the rush.

As the last pirate made his way onto the deck, Starla heard a noise from behind her, stopping her from climbing the stairs. Turning around, she saw Morph fly past the tables, and out through the door. Raising an eyebrow, she headed towards the kitchenette, where she could've sworn she'd heard something else. Suddenly, the barrel of purps shook, and out came Jim, a look of hurt on his face. Starla gasped, and he looked up at her - hurt, anger, mistrust, all flashing through his eyes.

"Jim, I know how this sounds…" Starla began, walking towards him. He flinched, moving away.

"How - How it sounds? I just heard. This whole time… There's a mutiny, and you were part of it. You and Silver - I should have known," he looked disgusted, but looked up at her suddenly, pointing an accusatory finger. "That's why you were on Montressor, wasn't it? Looking for the map? And then you just happened to be on the Doc's crew, and your uncle just happened to be here too." He scoffed, leaning against a table and glaring at her.

Starla felt tears swim in her eyes, and once again reached towards him. "Jim - Jim please, listen to me. You're right, you're completely right - But everything is different now. Silver cares about you, and I - I care about you too, Jim. Please, please believe me when I say that." A hot tear slipped down her face and she reached up to wipe it away impatiently. She sniffed and grabbed for Jim's arm, and he didn't pull away.

"Jim, listen to me. We don't have much time. I know this is cliché, but I've changed. Yes, I was meant to befriend you at the beginning, but now… It's different. I was intending to talk to Silver about stopping the mutiny somehow. Even if he was against it, I was going to alert the captain. Please, Jim," Starla said the last part louder, as he had looked away. He looked into her eyes now, and she felt another tear make its way down my face.

"So… All the other stuff," Jim began, a blush rising up his neck, "- that we did. The… Kissing," he finished, refusing to look at Starla.

"Look into my eyes," she said quietly, moving her hand down from his arm to his hand, holding it tightly. "- look into my eyes, and tell me I'm lying. Tell me I don't care. Look into my eyes, and say that what we did meant nothing to me," she said, staring into his eyes. They were bright, but no longer hard. Starla paused a moment before continuing.

"You don't have to trust me; just believe me. I'm not part of their crew - I'm part of yours. Please," she whispered as more tears fell, and she stood closer to him, her free hand reaching up to cup his face. He looked at her; stared right into her heart. She felt his hand come up to hold her waist, pulling her closer.

"Please, Jim," she whispered once more as he closed the distance between them. Her face had sticky tracks down it from her tears, and she knew her nose was red and that she had blotches about her face; but she didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that Jim's mouth was on hers once again; he was holding her as he had before. He didn't despise her, as she thought he would.

Jim pulled away from her, and Starla opened her eyes to look up at him. He dropped her hand and brought his up to wipe a stray tear, and she closed her eyes at his touch. He reached that hand around, placing it at the back of her neck and pulling her harshly against him, holding her tight. Starla's arms wound around his back, and she let herself take a breath.

"I must be a complete idiot," she heard him mumble, and she let a small chuckle escape.

"Yeah, you probably are," Starla said, lifting her face to smile lightly at him. Jim moved away then, but held one of her hands firmly with his. He looked down at her, starting towards the door.

"Come on," he began, "- we have to tell the captain." Starla began to protest, but stopped myself. He was right, of course he was. She felt herself nod and Jim began to pull her along behind him.


	12. Chapter 12 - Defending The Map

_Chapter 12_

_Defending The Map_

There was a sudden noise at the door, and Jim and Starla snapped their heads up to see Silver climbing the steps down into the galley. The young woman opened her mouth to speak, but Jim silenced her with a quick look over his shoulder at her. He pushed her behind him, shielding her from view. She peeked her eyes over Jim's shoulder, shooting Silver a pleading look.

"Jimbo," Silver said, before taking the last couple steps down, and smiling at Jim lightly. "Playing games, are we?" He asked Jim, moving ever closer. Jim walked back as well, and Starla dropped his hand, walking out from behind him. Silver barely glanced at her, eyes trained on Jim.

"Yeah," Jim began, anger evident in the low drop of his voice. "Yeah, we're playing games," he finished, leaning back against a table. Starla looked between the two men, heart pounding.

"Oh, I see," Silver began, rubbing his chin. "Well, I was never much good at games. Always hated to lose," Silver finished, crossing his arms behind his back. He looked at Starla then, sending a disappointed and somewhat apologetic look. Faintly, she heard a click sound behind his back, and she looked hard into his eyes, recognizing the sound. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jim reach behind him to grab for something on the table. He picked up a small and pointed silver can opener, and she felt herself raise an eyebrow.

"Me _too!_" Jim said loudly and, quick as a flash, he grabbed Starla's hand before running past Silver, reaching down to stab at his mechanical leg as the two teenagers went past. Starla gasped lightly and looked back at Silver as they ran up the steps, seeing him clutch his leg as steam swam in the air from his wound.

She could hear Morph following behind them as Jim led her to Amelia's stateroom, dropping his silver gadget somewhere along the way. They ran into the brightly lit room and both leaned hard on the door, shutting it. Breathing hard and trying to gather her thoughts, Starla leaned back against the door, faintly hearing Silver shout at the crew that it was time to move.

She ran a hand through her hair, feeling that it had escaped from its ponytail and fell limply down her back. Just like that, she'd jumped from her own crew to the next, without even thinking. She shook her head, and jumped quickly from the door when she heard shouts coming directly behind her. Starla stared at the door for a moment, before walking over to Jim, giving him a quick warning look.

"Pirates on my ship? I'll see they all hang," Amelia was saying, pulling a couple of guns from her unlocked cupboard. Starla felt herself look down in shame.

"Doctor, familiar with these?" Amelia asked Delbert, throwing a charged laser gun in his direction, which he caught at an odd angle.

"Oh, I've seen - Well, I've read -" He said, holding the gun out from him uncomfortably. The gun discharged then, just missing Amelia and hitting the globe next to her. Starla heard Jim sigh beside her, and she chuckled silently.

"Ah, no. No. No, I'm not," the Doctor said, and Amelia gave an exasperated look. At that moment Starla remembered her father's gun, hidden away at her cot. There was no way she would be able to get it without getting shot first, and felt a moment of sadness before shaking herself and holding her head high.

Amelia looked up at Starla then, studying her as a distrustful look came over her. "Why did you bring her? She's one of them, is she not?" She asked Jim, still looking at Starla. She felt a heat creep up her neck, and looked down, unable to meet her gaze. Starla could feel Jim looking at her, but still did not raise her eyes.

"She's not part of the mutiny. I trust her," Starla heard him say. Everyone was silent for a moment, and she could feel all eyes on her.

"Very well," Amelia said after a moment, and looked up in time to see her look away. Jim walked over to Amelia as she pulled the map to Treasure Planet out of the cupboard, holding it carefully as Morph flew over to inspect it.

"Mister Hawkins, defend this with your life," Amelia said as she tossed the sphere at Jim. But instead Morph caught it in his mouth, and flew past Jim.

"Morph! Give me that!" Jim shouted, jumping up to grab the map from Morph. They wrestled with it for a moment, and Starla looked nervously towards the door. She saw the handle glowing red hot, and turned to address Amelia.

"Captain," she said, nodding towards the door. Amelia gave it a sharp look, before aiming a laser gun at the floor, shooting a hole into it. She placed a small pistol in her waistband, throwing a longer rifle over her shoulder by its strap. The doctor grasped his as they jumped, one by one, down into the belly of the ship.

Amelia leading them on, Starla ran just behind Jim through the long twists and turns. She could hear Delbert behind her, and looked over her shoulder to see him panicking. Hearing the loud click of Amelia's heels, she looked up to see they had made it down to the longboats. Starla all but jumped down the final flight of stairs, nearly falling into Jim. The two teenagers looked at each other a moment before Starla's attention was caught by the sound of an "oof!"

Turning around, Starla saw that Delbert had fallen right at the door. Hearing the pirates closing in on them, she saw Amelia grab him by his collar, pushing him out of the way and shutting the door. The doctor let out a quick "Thank you!" Starla let out a small smile. Using her laser gun, Amelia quickly fused the lock of the door.

"To the longboats, quickly!" The captain shouted at them. Running with Jim, Starla climbed up into a longboat behind him, before reaching down to pull Delbert up. Starla looked over to see Amelia had unlocked the large door, and watched it open slowly beneath her. Looking beside her at Jim, they shared a lingering look before her attention was caught to the entrance. She could hear as well as see the pirates attempting to break through the metal, as Amelia jumped up into the longboat, cocking her gun. Starla looked back at Jim, only to see Morph had decided to make things difficult. Opening his mouth wide, the pink blob grabbed the map from Jim's pocket, floating down back to the catwalk below.

"Morph! No!" Starla shouted, as Jim jumped out of the boat to chase after him. "_James!_" She yelled to his back, jumping out after him.

Her heart raced as she heard the door slam down, and looked to see the pirates had arrived. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she continued after Jim, trying to catch Morph as he flew between them. She could hear Amelia and Delbert fighting off the pirates, but tried to focus on the matter at hand.

Hearing shouts, Starla looked down to see the pirates had fallen through the catwalk somehow, down to the planet far below. Her hair blew in her face as she watched them fall, eyes widening as the large door began to close beneath them. Starla looked up to see Silver, a smile on his face as he pulled the control up. She bit her lip as he began to walk slowly towards Jim, who was still busily chasing Morph.

"Don't you dare," Starla called to Silver, walking up to him, closer to the older man than to the younger. He gave her a hard look, but merely pushed past her, pushing her down to the ground to get to Jim. She looked up to see Silver calling Morph over, who still had the map.

"Morph! Morphy, come here," he called to his pet before whistling to him.

"Morph. Morph. Bring it here. Morph, come here," Jim called, beckoning the blob over. The two continued this for a moment, as Morph began to get confused, finally dropping with the map into a pile of rope.

Silver fell onto his good leg, his mechanical one still obviously sore after Jim had injured him in the galley. Starla stood, sprinting right past Silver and towards Jim, as the latter reached the pile of rope first, holding the map close. Starla reached down and grabbed his hand, dragging him back towards the longboat containing Amelia and Delbert. She heard the powering up of Silver's gun, and her heart beat ever faster as she pulled Jim quickly around a corner. But no shots came.

Jumping simultaneously into the longboat, Amelia and Delbert shot at the cables holding the longboat up, releasing it from its rigging and sending them quickly down, just slipping through the door. They fell quickly towards the planet below, and Starla's breath caught. Looking down to see Jim barely holding on to the side of the boat, she and Delbert reached quickly to heave him up, shouting "Jim!" together. Amelia pulled the sail, slowing and steadying their fall. She began to fiddle with the controls, powering the boat up.

"Parameters met. Hydraulics engaged," she said, grabbing onto the steering bar and leading the boat towards Treasure Planet.

Starla looked down at the murky clouds beneath them, pushing her hair from her face. Her heart was racing, and she jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Jim giving her a quick look. Starla gave him a quick nod, assuring him she was alright.

"Captain!" Delbert called from behind the two teenagers. "Laser ball at 12 o'clock!" He reached up to cover his head, leaning down. Starla instinctively leaned down as well, felling Jim's arm across her back as he shielded her from view. She felt the boat shift sharply to the right beneath her; Amelia had tried to move them out of the way in time. But she wasn't quick enough, and Starla lurched to the side, smacking right into Jim as the laser ball caught the longboat at the rear. Starla sat up and turned to see the sail had burned up, and the back end of the boat was gone. Her stomach somewhere in her throat, they hurdled down to Treasure Planet, holding on for dear life. Her hand found Jim's, and she squeezed as tight as she could.

They suddenly jerked down into strange looking trees, losing speed before crashing to the ground. Starla let out a soft scream as the boat upended and slid across the vegetation, ripping her hand from Jim's. All four were thrown upside down as the boat dumped them, leaving them all momentarily mystified. Starla's eyes were squeezed shut, and she coughed out a breath, trying to lift her head from the ground.

All was still, and Starla could hear the boat creak before light burned her eyelids, signaling someone was lifting it up. Opening her eyes, she could see Jim holding it up. Letting out a soft groan, Starla sat up slowly, careful not to bump her head. Jim lifted the boat and it sat at an angle, keeping itself up. Delbert stood first, adjusting his glasses.

"Oh my goodness," he began with a small groan, "- that was more fun than I ever want to have again."

Starla had to smile at the doctor, before lifting herself up to stand, hunched over as her hands gripped her knees, catching her breath. Somewhere along the fall, she had unluckily crushed her injured against the side of the boat, and it once again was throbbing. Starla bit back a groan.

Amelia chuckled as she stood, straightening her coat. "Not one of my gossamer landings," she said, before groaning and gripping her ribs, obviously in pain. Starla gasped as she fell to her knees, still holding her torso tightly.

"Captain!" Delbert said in shock, kneeling down beside Amelia and placing a hand on her shoulder. Jim ran over to assist Delbert in helping her stand as Starla stood back, unsure of what to do.

"Oh, don't fuss," Amelia said, sounding strained as she stood with the Doctor's help. Once on her feet, she lost her balance, and Delbert had to grab hold of her arms to keep her steady. "Slight bruising, that's all," Amelia went on to say, "- a cup of tea and I'll be right as rain." She finished, fixing her now-messy hair. Starla didn't believe one word of it, and her opinion on the matter was proved to be correct when Amelia looked at Delbert, calling him "Mister Hawkins."

Noticing their faces and inspecting Delbert closer, Amelia looked to the younger man, and gestured to him. "The map, if you please," she inquired of him, holding out her hand. Jim, holding his arm in a way that made Starla worry, suddenly smiled and went into his pocket. Starla smiled with him as he pulled the map from his pocket, holding it for all to see. As they all watched, the spherical map suddenly levitated up from where it rested on Jim's palm, and began to spin. It then proceeded to change into many different parts, turning pink. Suddenly Morph was floating in the map's place, giggling wildly at his own little joke.

Starla's heart sank as Jim yelled Morph's name. "Morph! Morph, where's the map?!" He yelled at the shapeshifter. Morph then proceeded to turn himself into a pile of rope, and the map, miming that the map was inside the pile of rope. Starla fumed.

"Are you serious?! It's back on the ship?!" She yelled, and she and Jim both began to grab for Morph. Amelia's voice could be heard a moment later, calling their attention to the Legacy's other longboat, currently being flown above them.

"Stifle that blob and get low. We've got company."

Jim grabbed Morph between both his hands and looked up, before his gaze settled on Starla. She looked over at him, her eyes sad, as she placed a hand on his shoulder.


	13. Chapter 13 - BEN

_Chapter 13_

_B.E.N._

_Author's Note: A million and three quarter apologies! I am so sorry for not updating in so long. Life getting in the way, I'm sure you know what that feels like. Anyhoodle, thanks for reading, sticking around, reviewing, and dealing with me. I appreciate it!_

_Kisses and cumshots,_

_Melanie_

* * *

All was silent. Starla could feel her heart pounding within her chest, as if it were trying to break free. She had her eyes shut tight, as they all listened to the longboat above them fly past, heading away from them. Only then could they all breathe again.

Amelia peeked her head up first, holding her gun tightly as she checked to see if the pirates had spotted them. The pirates, Starla thought to herself. So swiftly she considered herself to not be a part of them anymore. Shaking her head, Starla opened her eyes when she sensed Amelia had turned back around, facing the rest of them.

"We need a more defensible position," the captain said, addressing Jim. She stood from her kneeling position with some difficulty, still obviously in pain from her injury. "Mister Hawkins, scout ahead. Take Miss Montgomery with you," Amelia went on to say, handing Jim a small laser gun. Starla nodded once, moving to stand beside Jim.

"Aye, Captain," Jim said, holding the gun tightly. Starla nodded once more, said a soft "Yes, ma'am" and began to walk ahead of Jim, ashamed of herself and not ready for their impending conversation.

From behind her, Starla could hear Amelia let out a small grimace of pain, and turned around to see her kneeling on the ground, Delbert's hands on her arms. "Steady, steady," he was saying to her, and Starla's eyes softened. It was her fault Amelia was hurt. If she had said something about the mutiny sooner, none of this would have happened.

Delbert asked Amelia to have a look at her injury, and Starla turned away then, running a hand back through her auburn waves. She heard Jim begin to follow her, and wrapped her arms around her chest, ashamed once again.

* * *

The wind whistled around them as Starla and Jim walked on in silence. She wanted to say something, anything to stop that infernal silence, but no words came to her. What could she possibly say to him, after everything she had done? He probably hated her now. So there was no hope of –

Of what? Him allowing her to come back to Montressor? A relationship? She internally scoffed at herself. She couldn't possibly ask anything of him, least of all forgiveness. That there was any part of her that even considered the possibility of a relationship between them was despicable.

"Hey – Would you stop?" Jim's voice cut through her inner tirade. He grabbed her at the crook of her elbow, forcing her to stop walking. With one movement he turned her around, so she was forced to face him. She looked at him with shock in her eyes, and guilt. How could she make it up to him? His eyes only held confusion, and a smidge of hurt. It pained her to look at him, and she made to move away.

But Jim never let her go. He kept his hand firmly on her arm, not letting her go anywhere. "Stop, please. I just – Could you say something?" He said, looking flustered. She swallowed back the lump in her throat.

"What do you want me to say? All my life, I've lived like… Well, like that. A pirate. My parents raised me as a fighter and a charmer. And Silver… Well, Silver always considered me just a part of his crew. Tried to make me as harsh as any of them. And I was like that, for a while. Until I started having doubts. Until I realized what I was really doing. Until I met you," Starla said in a rush, pausing to take a breath. She could feel a tightening in her throat, as she always did before her tears fell. She forced them back, and looked Jim in the eye.

"I won't ask for your forgiveness, because I know I've done too many bad things to ever earn it. But, just… Don't hate me. That's all I ask," she whispered, a single tear slipping from her eye and falling gracefully down her cheek. She looked away then, shaking his hand off and turning so he faced her back, so she could wipe her tears in imaginary seclusion.

"My parents were pirates. Great ones, in fact. What I told you about their deaths was true, and how Silver took me in. I just left out the piracy part," she choked out a laugh, still refusing to look at him. She sat down on a nearby log, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Silver's always wanted to find Treasure Planet. I was on Montressor looking for Billy Bones, because Silver sent me there. He'd heard a rumor that Bones had the map, and sent me to bring it to him. When you and I saw Bones that day, the pirates that attacked the Benbow were Silver and his crew. After you had left with Sarah and Delbert, I told them everything. Bones, the map. How I knew you'd figure out what the map was. Silver got us hired to be the crew for the Legacy, and planned out the whole mutiny," she explained to him softly, resting her head in her hands. Her hair curtained her face, and she could barely see through her messy mane and her tears. But at some point, Jim had kneeled down in front of her, and his hands were gently rubbing her back, giving warmth on her leg, and pushing back her hair. She couldn't handle it; not his kindness, not now.

Everything broke free.

All her frustrations, all her doubts, all her frayed nerves. She lifted her face from her hands and looked up at Jim, whose wide eyes were full of caring. No, she yelled at herself mentally. She didn't deserve it. Not by a long shot. And yet there he was, showing nothing but concern for her. And there she was, throwing herself into his arms.

He hadn't been ready for it obviously, but there it was. Starla vaulted at him, and he dropped the gun to the side to get his arms free. He wrapped them around her shoulders, holding her tight to him as his back dropped painfully to the ground, Starla's face buried in his neck. Her hands rested on his chest as she silently cried, whispering "I'm sorry, my love" over and over into his soaked shirt. Her words shocked him, but he said nothing. Jim merely rested his face in her hair, placing gentle kisses at the top of her head.

After some time, Jim sat up, pushing Starla gently with him so she sat on his lap. Her fingers clawed at his collar, not letting him go. He smiled softly at that, and ran his hand down her hair in a calming gesture. It was comfortable, he thought. It felt right. For a moment, everything was forgotten. And all that mattered in the universe was that Starla was in his arms. He never wanted it to end.

But end it did. She pulled away, her eyes dry as she looked up at him, a small smile playing at her lips. Her face was slightly red, though from crying or embarrassment, he couldn't tell.

"I'm so sorry," Starla whispered once more. He looked at her, and gently laid his hand over her own.

"You don't need to apologize anymore. That… This was all the apology I needed," he said, and leaned down.

This kiss was different from any they'd shared before. It was soft, lingering. Just a gentle brush of the lips that spoke of comfort, to show the other that they truly cared.

After a moment, Starla pulled back, and stood, grabbing Jim's hands to pull him up with her. Once standing, they held hands for a moment before Jim reached down to grab the gun, looking at it for a moment as reality set in once more.

"We should be moving on," Starla said, voicing his thoughts. With one hand holding the gun and other holding Starla's, Jim began walking once more.

* * *

They had been walking for about ten minutes, when the two teenagers reached a crowded forest of trees. There was a downward path, pulling off to the right-hand side, and Jim stepped carefully down it, holding Starla's hand to help with her balance. Morph followed along, chattering the whole way. It made Starla smile, looking at the cheerful blob. They were all mystified by the entrapment of shrubbery, and Starla gazed wonderingly around her, not letting Jim's hand go.

Jim helped her climb over a large root, and she smiled her thanks at him. She couldn't help but be mystified all over again, not just at the scenery, but Jim's behavior. It was nice, she had to admit. Even after all the things she'd put him through, he still somehow cared.

A noise sounded from behind them, making Starla tense all over. It sounded mechanical, and she squeezed Jim's hand once to catch his attention. He looked back at her, questions in his eyes. She nodded her head back, signaling that she'd heard something. Brows knit together, Jim dropped the young woman's hand and held up the gun, powering it up as he headed back towards a crowd of plants to investigate. He shushed Morph as he chattered away, and Starla lifted her hand to the small shapeshifter. He played around her fingers, weaving in and out, as she gazed at Jim's back, her heart pounding.

As Jim neared the bushes, Starla bit her lip. Then, out of nowhere, a robot jumped up, yelling in Jim's face. Jim yelled back and Starla nearly jumped out of her skin, spooking Morph. He shuddered into dozens of smaller blobs, before shuddering back together and hiding in the collar of her jacket. Jim had fallen back onto the green ground, and Starla took a step closer to him.

"Oh, this is fantastic!" The robot shouted happily, as he jumped on top of Jim. "Carbon-based life forms come to rescue me at last!" The robot went on to say, inspecting Jim. He held his hands to his chest, eyes shut in contentedness, as Jim tried to subtly grab the dropped gun and get back to his feet. But he wasn't fast enough. The robot grabbed him from behind, wrapping his arms round Jim's middle and giving him a hug.

"I just wanna hug ya and squeeze ya and hold ya close to me," the robot said, standing and lifting Jim above the ground. Starla didn't know whether to start threatening or laughing.

As the robot set him down, Jim stepped back, trying to push the former away from him. But the robot would not let go for more than a second. "Alright, okay," Jim began saying, "Would you just let go of me?"

Listening to Jim's words, the robot let him go and stepped back, apologizing and throwing an arm around Jim's shoulders. "Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. It's just… I've been marooned for so long. I mean, solitude's fun. Don't get me wrong. For heaven's sakes, after a hundred years, YA GO A LITTLE NUTS!" He finished, ending with a small laugh. Jim closed his eyes and looked away, his body language giving away how uncomfortable he was. He looked back at the robot with a look of contempt, and Starla let out a small giggle.

The robot apologized once more, before offering his hand to Jim for a shake. "I am… uhm… My name is… uh…" The former said, before gripping his head in frustration. Starla raised an eyebrow as Morph flew from her jacket, hiding behind her shoulder. He morphed into a miniature version of the robot, and mimicked a cuckoo clock. Jim looked over and rolled his eyes, while Starla shut Morph up with a pat on the head.

"B.E.N.! Of course, I'm B.E.N.!" The robot exclaimed, apparently remembering his name. "Bioelectronic Navigator," B.E.N. went on to say, gesturing at the compass in his chest, which fell out after a moment. He replaced it with a small "oops!" before setting his sights on Starla.

"Oh my stars! I hadn't noticed you before, miss," he said, sliding up to Starla and grabbing one of her hands. She raised an eyebrow and gave Jim a look. "Enchante, mademoiselle," the robot added, placing a cool, metal kiss softly on her hand. The young woman laughed nervously before pulling her hand quickly back, and taking a few steps away from B.E.N.

"Hi. I'm Starla," she said to the robot, giving him a small smile and a two-finger salute. Starla pushed some hair behind her ear impatiently, as she watched B.E.N. give her a smile and go back to Jim.

"And you are?" The robot asked, as Jim knelt towards the ground, attempting to pick up him fallen laser gun. "Jim," he responded resolutely. As he came closer to his fallen weapon, B.E.N. nabbed his outstretched hand, shaking it furiously.

"Oh, what a pleasure to meet you Jimmy," B.E.N said, either not noticing or ignoring Jim's attempts to pull his hand away. Starla smiled silently as Morph flew quietly around her, not noticing the robot's exchange with the human.

"It's Jim," the latter corrected, finally picking up his gun. The robot went on to attempt a new conversation, but Jim was having none of it. "Look, we're kind of in a hurry, okay?" He said to B.E.N. as he sidestepped away, moving closer to Starla.

"We have to find a place to hide," the young woman added, placing a hand gently on Jim's shoulder. "There's pirates chasing us."

Jim gave her a small smile, covering her hand with his own, before stepping past Starla and placing the gun in the waistband of his trousers. As they began to leave the small clearing, B.E.N.'s next words froze them to the spot.

"Oh, pirates! Don't get me started on pirates! I don't like them … I remember Captain Flint. This guy had such a temper," B.E.N. said, mostly to himself as he set himself down on a rock.

Starla and Jim shared a quick look before walking back towards the robot. "Wait, wait, wait. You knew Captain Flint?" Jim asked, voicing both the teenagers' thoughts.

"I think he suffered from mood swings, personally. I'm not a therapist, and anyway ..." B.E.N. began rambling on, making himself more comfortable on his rock and completely unaware of how valuable this information was. "But – You let me know when I'm rambling," he added as an afterthought, and Starla knelt down beside him, smiling. She was about to ask the obvious question when Jim, standing just behind her, beat her to it.

"But that means – but wait. But then you gotta know about the treasure?" He voiced, phrasing it like a question. He leaned closer to B.E.N. and Starla could feel his legs brush her back, and she instinctively leaned back against them. Morph, seeking attention, flew towards the woman, and began weaving through her fingers and legs. After a moment, she tuned back in to Jim and B.E.N.'s conversation.

" – you know, loot of a thousand worlds," Jim was saying, and Morph turned himself into a chest overflowing with gold. Starla laughed lightly, before standing up and placing herself beside Jim.

"It's – well, it's … It's all a little fuzzy …" B.E.N. mused aloud, getting up from his rock. He looked terrified that he wouldn't be able to remember anything, and Starla felt her heart soften. "Wait. I – I r-r-remember," B.E.N. finished, reaching out towards the two teenagers. His bright yellow eyes began to waver and flicker as he sorted through his memories.

"I do. I – TREASURE. Lots and lots of treasure, buried in the centroid – centroid – centroid of the mechanism," he suddenly exclaimed, his eyes becoming chests filled with gold. Starla furrowed her brows, looking to the side at Jim, asking a silent question. Jim shrugged, a look of shock and disbelief written on his face, before turning back towards the robot.

"And there was this big door, opening and closing … and opening and closing …" B.E.N. continued to ramble on, his body reacting to his words; the compass in his chest opening and closing in time with his words.

" – and Captain Flint wanted to make sure nobody could ever get to his treasure, so I helped him …" B.E.N. was cut off as he began spluttering, his wires sparking and shocking the air around them. "Aah! Data inaccessible! Reboot! Reboot! Reboot!" The robot shouted, as Starla began calling his name, worried.

Jim stepped up and slapped him, and Starla had enough time to send a disapproving look to his back before B.E.N. returned to himself. Mostly.

"… And you are?" He asked Jim. The latter looked frustrated as he asked B.E.N. once again about the treasure. "I wanna say … Larry," B.E.N. added, looking Jim up and down. Starla ran a hand down her face, groaning quietly.

"The – the centroid of the mechanism, or something," Jim added, watching the robot with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry. My memory isn't what it used to be. I've lost my mind. Ha ha! I've lost my mind," the robot said with a small laugh and a shrug. "You haven't found it, have you? Uh, my missing piece? My primary memory circuit?" He asked, beginning to search Starla. He had her palms pressed against a tree as he patted her sides, searching for something. "Hey!" She heard Jim say, and suddenly B.E.N.'s hands were gone; the metal replaced with warm flesh. She smiled as Jim turned her around, and could see him checking her over for damage. She leaned up, placing a small kiss on his cheek before walking towards the robot.

"Look, B.E.N., we really need to find a place to hide, alright?" Starla said to B.E.N., walking away. Jim and Morph began to follow her, the former turning to speak to the robot. "So we're just gonna be, yaknow, moving on."

Starla felt bad for having to leave the obviously lonely B.E.N., but she supposed he would only be a liability to their group. She bit her lip silently as Jim walked past her. Waving back to the robot, she began to follow her comrade.

"Oh, uh, so, well, then, I guess, uh … this is goodbye, huh?" B.E.N. said from behind them, and Starla froze, turning back. She saw B.E.N. slide to his knees and quietly ride away from them. "I'm sorry that I'm so … dysfunctional," he added, and Starla could take no more. Turning to face Jim, she saw he was already watching the robot, and she gave him a smile and a 'why not?' expression, hoping to convince him. She saw Morph whine at Jim and she knew he was putty in their hands.

"So, uh, go ahead and … I do understand. I do. Bye-bye," B.E.N. said to them, waving lightly. With a sigh, Jim took a few steps toward the robot.

"Look, if you're gonna come along, you're gonna have to stop talking," he said, and B.E.N. suddenly jumped up and skipped towards the group, picking Starla up in a hug.

"Huzza! Ha ha ha! Oh, this is fantastic! Me and my best buddies out lookin' for a …" Seeing the look on Jim's face, the robot immediately dropped Starla and cleared his throat. Shaking out her hair, the young woman took a step towards Jim, giving him a shrug.

"Being quiet," B.E.N. added in a whisper.

"And you have to stop touching her- us," Jim told the robot as he gave Jim a hug as well. Starla rolled her eyes. "Touching and talking. Those are your two big no-no's," she added.

Adjusting his shirt and looking about, Jim began to voice his thoughts. "Alright. Now, I think we should –"

Before he could even finish a sentence, B.E.N. interrupted him with a shake on his arm. "Say, listen, before we go out on our big search, uhm, would you mind if we made a quick pit stop at my place? Heh, kind of urgent," he said, crossing his knees and covering his genitalia, before pulling back some greenery. Across an open field, a large circular house could be seen. Starla's eyes went wide as she smiled.

"B.E.N. I think you just solved our problem."

* * *

Sometime later, Starla and Jim had run and found Delbert and Amelia, and had brought them back to B.E.N.'s overly-large home. It was extraordinarily spacious, and welcoming, in a way. There was greenery all along the walls, growing up from the ground all the way to the ceiling. As Jim helped her step in through the doorway, Starla couldn't help but stare up in wonder.

"Uh, pardon the mess, people," B.E.N. was saying as he tidied up some things. "You'd think in a hundred years, I would've dusted a little more often, but, you know, when you're batchin' it, you tend to, uh, let things go." Delbert carried Amelia inside, where he lay her against a rock as B.E.N. continued to ramble on. Jim placed a hand gently on Starla's shoulder, smiling at her lightly. The day had turned into evening at some point, and the darkened horizon enhanced Jim's features. He was swathed in shadows, and Starla raised a hand up to gently push some hair from Jim's eyes. His eyes closed softly, his lashes gently brushing his cheeks. A small smile remained on his lips, as he leaned forward, cupping Starla's neck –

"Aw, isn't that sweet? I find old-fashioned romance so touching, don't you?" Starla and Jim jumped apart, both dropping their hands as B.E.N.'s voice rung out. Starla ran a hand back through her hair as a blush settled itself across Jim's face. Looking up, the former could see that no one, at all, had been paying attention to the two teenagers. Instead, B.E.N. had been talking about Delbert and Amelia, as he held her gently to him. It made Starla smile.

"How about drinks for the happy couple?" B.E.N. asked, bringing a tray out from behind a small tent. There were two cups on the tray, housing what seemed to be a variety of oil and goo. Delbert looked at it questioningly, then with slight disgust. He attempted to politely decline the drinks, "Oh, uh, ooh. Uh, no. Thank you, we don't drink, and, uh, we're not a couple."

"Yet," Starla whispered quietly to Jim, who smiled back at her in kind. Delbert took off his jacket and smiled down at Amelia as he spoke, who, surprisingly, smiled back.

Coming back into the present, Delbert cleared his through before studying the room around them. Jim's hand had found its way to Starla's, and they stood together, listening to the doctor muse.

"Ahem. Look at these markings. They're identical to the ones on the map. I suspect these are the hieroglyphic remnants of an ancient culture."

Starla and Jim both immediately looked around, studying the marks on the walls surrounding them. Starla smiled wistfully, wondering what the markings meant.

"Mister Hawkins," Amelia's small voice called out; she was still very ill. Jim dropped Starla's hand as he walked closer to their captain. "- stop anyone who tries to approach. Ohh!" She grimaced in pain, holding her arm closer.

"Yes, yes. Now you listen to me," Delbert began to say, kneeling down and folding his jacket into a pillow, placing it behind Amelia's head. "Stop giving orders for a few milliseconds and lie still," he finished, placing a hand over Amelia's.

"Very forceful, Doctor. Go on, say something else," Amelia said, and Starla was sure there was something flirtatious in it.


End file.
